15 year old runaway seeking emancipation

[ccsmod14]

Re: 16 year old runaway

Hi there,

Thank you so much for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like things are really tough with having run away from home, and trying to now get emancipated. We’re glad that you contacted us, we’re here to help as much as we can.

So we are not legal experts unfortunately, but generally speaking the emancipation process can be lengthy (6 months or more), as well as expensive (need to work with a lawyer). In the state of Arizona, the minimum age requirement is 16 years of age. There are a few resources that may be helpful to you in figuring out next steps:

Southern Arizona Legal Aid (520) 316 8076
Pinai & Gila Counties Legal Aid Society (92 669 6188

You shared that you are a runaway. The emancipation process does involve legal guardians to some extent. We’re not here to tell you what you should or should not do, we’re just here to help keep you safe. If you are in need of a safe place to go, you can call or chat with us and we can try to locate a shelter near you.

Please do call or chat if you would like to talk more. We’re here to help.

Best of luck,
NRS

[Unregistered]

My boyfriend needs help

My boyfriend is a 16 year old runaway whose father not only banned us from seeing each other but is always very strict and very abusive. My boyfriend has seperation anxiety and cant stand being away from me because of the fact that we share the same experiences and we're madly in love with each other. is it possible for him to stay with me during his emancipation process

[ccsmod5]

re: My boyfriend needs help

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It seems like your boyfriend has been going through a pretty tough time at this point in your life and we want you to know that we are here to listen and to help in the best way that we can. From what you shared, it sounds like your boyfriend is looking to leave his home.

We want you to know that we are not legal experts here which means that we are only able to speak in general terms about this situation. In most states, because your boyfriend is still considered a minor, in order to live elsewhere, he would need parental consent. It seems like your boyfriend is going through the emancipation process at this point, which means that he is already trying to leave the home legally. As we mentioned, we are not legal experts but if you wanted to know more accurately what could happen, you are able to reach out to your local police department and ask some general questions.

You also mentioned that his father was extremely abusive, perhaps something your boyfriend might want to consider is reaching out to social services and seeing if there is a way that a child abuse report could potentially be filed. If you would like to know more about that option, please feel free to reach out to us or to contact Child Help USA at 1-800-422-4453. They have child abuse counselors available 24/7.

We hope that we are able to give you some general information about what we do and how we could help. Please remember that our hotline is available 24/7 and could be reached at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have a live chat program that is available every day from 4:30 PM until 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck and hope to get your call or chat soon.

Stay strong,

NRS

[Unregistered]

I'm a 14 year old, sick of my house!

I live with my mother, stepdad, and my toe brothers. I don't talk and don't really eat at home I can't take a deep breath without my mom asking me why I have attitude! I've said countless times that I want to leave and move in with one of my aunts. I get survivor benefits from my bio dad passing away last summer. My "parents" are hogging all the money for themselves, which the money isn't the issue here. My mom won't let me live with family and she keeps threatening to put me in a group home. What should I do??!

[ccsmod15]

Re: 15 year old runaway seeking emancipation

Hey there,
Sounds like you have a lot going on at home. That must be stressful and tiring to deal with that on a day to day basis. It sounds like talking with your mom or stepdad is pretty difficult for you. You mentioned moving in with one of your Aunt’s. If your Aunt’s know everything that is going on, maybe a possible option would be having your Aunt’s sit down and talk with your parents with you. Sometimes having an adult that both you and your parents trust allows both sides to be heard and ideas or solutions come up that may not have been thought of before.
With everything that you have going on it must be hard to cope with it all. A good support system during a tough time is always important. If your aunt’s aren’t always available maybe a close friend, school counselor or maybe even your brothers if you are close with them. You can always call us here at the National Runaway Safeline if you need someone else to talk to. We have a 24/7 hotline and are always here to talk and listen. Our number is 1(800)786-2929. In regards to the money issue, that sounds frustrating and unfair. You could consider getting some legal help. A resource that we have that may be able to help give you some more information on how you could do that is the Child Help USA information line. Their number is 1(800)422-4453.
Through everything that you have going on it sounds like you have been trying to make things work out for the best. You should be proud of yourself for that. It also shows a lot about yourself for reaching out to us today, not every person in a situation like yours would do that. Hopefully this helps you a little, if you need more information or want to talk things out feel free to chat with us or call us at our 24/7 hotline.
Best of luck,
NRS

[Unregistered]

14 yr old emancipation

Okay, I'm 14, and I live in the state of Alabam . I will be 15 in 2 months, but my biological dad is with this woman, and she treats me horrible. She's called me a tramp, and a whore. And my dad does nothing about it. I have someone who would be willing to take me in, and I am planning on getting a job soon to help them out with living costs and other expense . I'm not sure how to go about this whole plan, considering they (being my dad and his wife) won't let me leave the yard unless im with one of them. I have contemplated suicide because of how horrible they make me feel. I've cut myself numerous times. And I'm not sure how much longer I can keep living in this house before I really don't feel like there is any option but suicide. Please help. I need to know how I can get emancipated in this situation. Please, im begging for help.

[ccsmod2]

re: 14 yr old emancipation

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us. We understand that you are not getting along well with your mom. You mentioned that you want to get away from her, and you have a place to stay with people who can be supportive for you. We are happy to hear that you do have some support in this tough time!

As far as emancipation, we aren't legal experts. But with the limited information that we do have, the state of Alabama allows youth to file for emancipation only if they are above the age of 18. Youth are considered legal adults at 19 years old. So it would likely be difficult to get services as a minor at 14. If you do leave, your parents could file a runaway report. Then there becomes the potential for you to be taken back home.

If you are feeling like you may harm yourself in the future, we encourage you to reach out to the National Suicide Hotline, at 1-800-273-8255. It may also be helpful to call Child Help USA, which is an agency that helps youth who are experiencing abuse. Their number is 1-800-422-4453.

We hope these are helpful for you. Take care.

NRS

[Unregistered]

emancipation for a 15 year old run away (me)

Does North Carolina do 15 year old emancipation

[ccsmod2]

emancipation for a 15 year old run away (me)

Hi,

To our knowledge, the state of North Carolina does not allow 15 year old youth to file for emancipation. You must be 16 or older. For more information you can reach out to a local legal aid agency.

NRS

[Unregistered]

15 in two weeks, ran away

My mom's been abusive and threatens to send me away all the time but last night she said she was putting me in foster care the next day so I took my chances and left before she kicked me out. I don't know if I can stay low for a whole year and still continue high school...but I know I can't turn back now and that my family most likely won't take me back. I'm going to be 16 in about a year but I doubt I can stay around that long plus I don't want to get my friend's parents in trouble. The law in my state and county state that I have to be 16 to get emancipated. Any advice?

[ccsmod1]

RE: 15 in two weeks, ran away

We are so sorry to hear about the abuse you have been living with. No one deserves to be treated that way and it sounds like you did what you felt you needed to do to keep safe by leaving when you did. As far as where you are allowed to live depends on if your mother will give you permission to stay or if she files a runaway report to get you back home. You didn’t mention whether or not you reported the abuse but you have the right to do this by either calling the police or telling another adult to report it. You don’t say what state you are in, so that might matter as far as emancipation. If it is possible for you to call us at 1800-Runaway we can have a confidential conversation with you and try to help you come up with a plan to keep you safe. We also have a chat service you can use, if that works better.

[Unregistered]

Re: 15 year old runaway seeking emancipation

I am 15 years old and my parents keep telling that that are going to beat me for things that I didn't do and I'm over of not being trusted about things that I didn't do and last night I was up intil 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning, it was because my jaw was in a really bad pain and I was crying for something I didn't know about. I still want to live in California because I was born and raised in San Deigo. What do I do about it??

[ccsmod9]

Re: 15 year old runaway seeking emancipation

Hello there,
Thanks for posting on our forum today.
We’re so sorry your parents are threatening physical harm against you. You don’t deserve to be treated that way. It’s understandable that you’d be so upset. It sounds like things have been pretty overwhelming lately.
Did you mention your jaw because it was something that your parents did to you? If you’re describing physical abuse, we want you to know that no matter what, it was not your fault. You have the right to report anything you believe to be abuse. If you’re interested in finding out more about abuse reporting, you could visit www.childhelp.org or give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We’d be happy to help you file an abuse report if you so choose.
It sounds like you’re talking about becoming emancipated. We’re not legal experts here, but typically you’d need to be 16 and able to support yourself financially in order to be considered. If you want to know what the requirements are for sure, you could contact us directly (call or chat) and we’d be happy to provide you with a legal aid contact to help get you started.
Stay strong,
NRS

[Unregistered]

Want to become emancipated

I am 17 years old and I want to become emancipated. I have many problems at home including my parents who argue very often, resulting in my step dad beating on my mom. He recently pushed her down the stairs and beating her again for not making him feel special on his birthday. Her arms were bruised for weeks. I took him to court my freshman year for beating me and my brother as well but he got off with probation and anger management and my brother got scared and denied being beaten. He has scarring and my step dad beaten me since, however not recently. My mom will not say anything bad against him. My parents have been taking off every weekend leaving MW to watch my brothers and sister overnight, sometimes when there is little to virtually no food in the house. They have been leaving me to care for my sibling for as long as I remember and my weekends being my only thing close to a break. But that shifted this morning. I recently decided that I was going to go to college for accounting at the same college where my boyfriend is. My reasoning being that its a good college for my major, its the same price in state and out of state, and since my boyfriend is there I'll be safer. My step father told me this morning that since I want to go against them and try to make my own decisions about where to go and what to do I can no longer visit my boyfriend. I live with my parents and don't have a job because they won't let me, for I have to stay home and watch their kids. I'm and honors student and more than capable of making my own decisions. I've tried to suggest living elsewhere but they won't let me leave ( I have to watch kids). My boyfriend's parents and my grandparents on both sides know my situation and offered for me to come live with them. Do my chances look good for emancipation and how should I go about it? I know my parents won't agree.

[ccsmod14]

Re: Want to become emancipated

Hi there,

Thank you so much for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like things have been pretty tough for you lately and we are sorry to hear about this. You and your family do not deserve to be abused in any way by anybody. You deserve to feel safe in your own home. We want you to know you do have the right to make an abuse report if that is something that you want to do. You can do that by calling us at (800) RUNAWAY (786 2929) and we can make a report with you or on your behalf. Another option you have is to call Child Help USA at (800) 422 4453 for assistance with reporting. You also shared that your mother has experienced abuse as well, which she doesn’t deserve either. A hotline that may be able to help her further with her experiences is the Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799 7233.

You shared that you recently decided that you are going to go to college for accounting which is awesome to hear. It sounds like you are really driven and motivated to do well in receiving a higher education. It’s also good to hear that you have a support system from your boyfriend. This has to be helpful during difficult times with your family, though they are trying to prevent you from seeing him further.

You asked about emancipation. We’re not legal experts, so we cannot say for certain what that process would look like for your state or individual situation. It’s good to know that you have support from your boyfriend and his family if you are able to move out of your parent’s house. Generally speaking, emancipation can be a long process (6+months) and can be expensive due to lawyer fees. Going through the process is also not a guarantee that emancipation would be granted, which can be a frustrating piece of the puzzle. If you would like to explore this option further, you can call us here and we can try to find some legal resources in your area that would be able to speak more specifically to what that would look like for you.

We’re here 24/7 to support you. Please do not hesitate to call or chat with us to talk in more detail about your situation.

Best,
NRS