4 Troubled Teens Blog

A new set of state and federal laws might improve the speed at which police departments file missing persons reports on runaway children.

The laws might help correct a problem in that police departments are failing to file missing person reports on 10 to 40 percent of runaway children within the first 24 hours of receiving notice that a child is missing.

• The reasons for delay can be complex.
  
• Youth shelters, for example, often want more time than just one day to gain the trust of a runaway child.
  
• Some children come from abusive homes, and it may not be in their best interest to go back to their parents.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney said the reporting failures, which average 16 percent nationwide, are "absolutely outrageous."

"It's absolutely inappropriate that many runaway children are missing not only from their homes but also from the very databases meant to help law enforcement find them," she said.

Rep. John Conyers of the House Judiciary Committee is sponsoring the new bill in Congress.

Labels: laws, teens, runaways

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Teenagers runaway for a multitude of reasons. Some are trying to escape truly abusive and destructive homes. Others are simply frustrated, feeling like they can't meet their parents expectations; or perhaps they are dealing with something they don't feel they can share with their parents.

In a column in the Windsor Star, psychotherapist Barbara Burrows advised the mother of a teen runaway not to turn her back on her daughter:

Certainly parents will recognize how worried, guilty or upset they can feel about troubles with teenagers. Teenagers hide very well the fact that they usually feel as desperate as parents. Teens may even feel that they have ruined any hope that parents could ever love them again. ...

The more you can keep trying to reach her and approach this problem without getting too upset, the more you help her understand that whatever problems she faces, things are manageable. Teach her by your example, that through discussion, there is a solution to life's most difficult dilemmas.

Leaving home can be a traumatic experience for teens as well as parents. But responding to the problem in a calm, reasoned manner can help end the crisis and improve the substance and quality of the family members' relationships with each other.

Labels: runaways, teenagers, parenting_help

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A teenager from North Carolina has been missing for more than a year, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is asking for help in finding her:

Diana Hernandez Yanez, was 14 when she left her home on July 21, 2008. Neighbors told police that they saw her get into a red pickup truck that morning.

Friends say the truck, a red 2000 Chevrolet S-10 low-rider pickup, belonged to 19-year-old Andres Velasquez Tinoco, whom Diana reportedly met just a couple of weeks prior to her disappearance. (Source: The McDowell News)

Anyone who may have information about Yanez's whereabouts is asked to call the Marion Police Department at (828) 652-3231. Tips can remain anonymous.

Labels: teens, runaways

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In Winnipeg, Canada, an estimated 80 to 120 people are considered missing on any given day. Of those, many are teenagers who have run away from home and - in the process - put themselves at risk.

"Just being on the streets unsupervised makes kids vulnerable and there are people who target and exploit that, [Bob] Christmas said. The danger could be anything from an outright sexual predator to the lure of a party house or crack house."

Most runaways return home or are found within 48 hours - but even this relatively brief time on the streets can be enough to get a teen into trouble. In an effort to reduce the number of teen runaways, Manitoba Province has begun enforcing the Child and Family Services Act, which allows police to charge someone who helps a child to run away from home, or who harbors a runaway. Source: Winnipeg Sun

Labels: homelessness, runaways

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 1 Comment

A Canadian teenager has been missing for over a week. He ran away from home after his father barred him from playing his favorite video game because his grades had been falling.

"Dr. Lawrence Kutner, co-author of Grand Theft Childhood, stresses that video games themselves are not the root of a problem, but instead can be symptomatic of more profound issues. 'If you have a child doing anything obsessively, chances are there is something else going on,' said Dr. Kutner... 'In essence, it's a way of self-medicating,' he said."

A parent who feels a child is too wrapped up in a video game should ask the child's teachers if they've noticed any recent changes in behavior or school performance. If there have been changes, the parent should seek help for the child. Source: National Post (Canada)

Labels: video_games, runaways, consequences

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More Calgary teenagers than ever before are homeless and living on the streets - a reality that is resulting in an increased need for services to deal with issues such as substance abuse and addiction.

"The city's homeless count last May showed there were 154 homeless youths between the ages of 13 and 17 - up from 56 counted six years earlier. There were another 327 homeless people between the ages of 18 to 24. One of the shelters, Avenue 15, which caters to 12- to 19-year-olds, served 838 different clients between July 2007 [and] June 2008."

While part of the increased is attributed to a rise in the city's general population, experts are concerned that more young people are running away from foster care and group homes. Many young people will go to shelters when they need to, but others choose to stay on the streets, regardless of the dangers they face there. Source: Calgary Herald

Labels: homelessness, runaways

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St. Cloud, Minnesota, officials are trying to decide how to handle runaways and troubled youth now that a local youth shelter has closed. The OK House, which had been in operation since 1975, was a place where both runaway and troubled teenagers could get help.

"Law enforcement officials have voiced concern about where they will take youths who have run away or committed minor offenses that don't warrant placement in a juvenile detention facility. 'Right now we're kind of struggling with what to do with these kids,' [Police Chief Dennis] Ballantine said."

OK House closed its doors last month due to an operating deficit. Alternatives proposed by law enforcement and state officials include finding emergency foster homes or placing teens at the Sheriff's Youth Home in St. Cloud. Source: St. Cloud Times

Labels: runaways, community, shelters

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Organizations in Douglas County, Ore., estimate there are approximately 300 to 500 homeless teens in the county. Some teens live in cars, tents, or boxes on the street, while others move from one friend's house to another, spending the night on couches and floors.

"Whether the number is closer to the higher or lower estimate, these are kids who still have a chance to turn their lives around. While some may be determined to run away from the rules of their homes, others may be leaving homes where there is physical abuse, alcoholism or drug abuse."

In response to, and out of concern for, the plight of homeless teens, a drop-in center has been opened in Roseburg. A $122,000 grant from the state has enabled an existing facility to start building showers, a small kitchen, an interview room and more - specifically for homeless teenagers. Though building of the center is well on its way, an additional $35,000 is still needed. Source: Oregon News Review

Labels: homelessness, runaways, shelters

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The Indiana House has passed a bill aimed at providing real help for homeless and runaway teenagers. The legislature also requires the state Housing and Community Development Authority to try and count the number of homeless teens in the state.

"House Bill 1165 does several things: Lifts the legal and regulatory barriers preventing homeless shelters and food pantries from assisting unaccompanied 16- and 17-year olds, extends the deadline that an emergency shelter has to notify a parent or legal guardian if a homeless teen shows up at its door. Previously it was 24 hours; now the notification time is 72 hours."

In addition, the bill allows kids in foster care to stay in the foster care system until they're 21, as long as they have a job or are improving their education. Read more at CourierPress.com.

Labels: homelessness, runaways, legislation

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Created in 1983, Project Safe Place acts as a "first step" that teens can take when they need help but aren't sure where to go. Safe Place Coordinators partner with local businesses, like the ones in Murfreesboro, Tennessee to connect troubled or at-risk teens with local social services."

Children run away from home to escape abuse or neglect, the drug or alcohol problems of family members, and sometimes, family members force them to leave, the Web site stated... 'The program allows a runaway child or a child in distress to get help pretty quick,' [Deputy Fire Chief Jimmy] Francis said."

Safe Place currently operations in multiple cities in 40 states and seeks to expand. There are currently 21 Safe Place locations in Murfreesboro and 16 teens have taken refuge thus far. Read more at DNJ.com.

Labels: runaways, abuse, social_services

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A pair of teenagers who ran away from the Bridge Youth and Family Services Center, are missing and may be in danger. This according to the Miami police, which is asking for the public to help find the girls.

“Sixteen year old Amanda Nazario, who has a tattoo of “peace” on her right shoulder, was last seen wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Amanda, who is 5’2” tall with black hair, is considered ‘endangered’ because she requires medication for her bi-polar disorder.” [Source: WFOR – Channel 4 (Miami)]

The other teenager, 14-year-old Lisa Varela, is 5’3” and weighs about 115 pounds. She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a red shirt. Though the girls disappeared on the same day, authorities are uncertain if their disappearances are connected.

Anyone with information about the girls is asked to contact the Miami Police Department at 305.579.6630.

 

Labels: runaways

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

The Tumbleweed Runaway Program in Billings, Montana connects with nearly 10,000 young people each year who have run away and are living on the streets. That’s a high number for any city, but especially for a place like Billings, whose population is just over 100,000. And Billings is just one of many cities battling this growing problem.

“National Runaway statistics show that one in seven kids between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away at some point. As many as 3 million runaway and homeless kids are living on the streets in the United States. The National Runaway Switchboard reports that 55 percent of at-risk teens call in to the hotline while in crisis and already living on the streets.” [Source: The Billings Outpost]

Billings’ Tumbleweed Runaway Program aims to help young people resolve the conflicts and problems that cause them to runaway, in hopes of preventing some from ending up on the streets, where they are at risk of being sexually exploited or otherwise abused.

Has your child run away or exhibited other forms of defiant behaviors? If so, a summer stay in a therapeutic wilderness program may provide the intervention and structure that your teen needs to get back on the right track.
 

Labels: runaways

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment