I We have a 16 years old Grandson that his Father kicked?

Question

him out to the street, his mother wants nothing to do with him either. Dad lives in Burlington, Iowa & mom in OK. We brought him into our home, he was here for 5 days before his dad even reported him missing, mind you not a run away yet....when he arrived the 1st nite it was late so we all sat in the morning & talked, we called the local police department, the County Sheriff's office so we were on the up & up....we went & did the things we needed to do such as school, etc. to get him ready & now his dad has decided he is going before the judge to have a warrant issued for a run away...my question is this he turned 16 on 7-25....he says he will not go back to his dad's he will run hard & far away...his dad we learned has kicked him out 6 -7 times each time other than the last he has slept under bridges or wherever he could find & food he found whatever way he could.......how old does a child have to be to be able to say I refuse to live with you or come home? Please We need help here!!

Answer 1

I think when a child is 12 - 13 years old a judge will mostly listen to how he/she feels about the living arrangements. If things are as you've stated, I really hope that you'll petition the judge to request temporary custody of the boy until he's old enough to care for himself.

Answer 2

I am not positive on this, but since you went to the local police and told them everything that is going on, I don't think anyone can get in trouble. I would suggest that you get a hold of the child protection agency in your town, tell them the situation, and ask how you can have guardianship established. He is old enough to testify to what has been going on, and can request to live with you. I also think you can go after the father for child support if he is proven to be abusive. That would depend on what state you are in, but in Iowa I believe it is 16. I sure hope you can help him, because life on the street is bad.

Answer 3

I doubt his father cares enough to really take him back, and it sounds like your grandson wouldn't go even if the father would take him back. But it sounds like he is in good hands with you.

If it goes in front of a judge, the father will certainly get custody if he wants it. If you want to keep custody, you may be able to reason with the father. Either way, it sounds like if the father gets custody, the boy will either get kicked out again or run away. It sounds like you actually care for this boy, so I think you should do what you think is best - you may need to fight to retain custody, if that's what you want.

Unfortunately, the boy will not have the right to choose who he lives with until he turns 18, unless you can show a judge that his father is abusive or otherwise cannot take care of him.

Answer 4

You have already notified your local police and Sheriff. That is good. You might want to investigate to see if you can get a court to declare you legal guardians. You would have to have some proof that the father is incompetent. Maybe by getting the missing child report that his father filed. Hopefully that was filed after you had made your contact with local authorities. The laws for children declaring themselves independant vary from state to state. You had better get a lawyer in on this.

Answer 5

I agree, talk to a judge and ask to be given custody so the kid can live with you in a stable environment and complete his education. The judge may have to interview the boy as well... all the better to get at the truth.
A 16 year old is plenty old enough to choose who he lives with.
Bless you for coming to his aid.

Answer 6

Get a lawyer. File a petition to be granted guardianship. He is old enough to be able to tell a judge the circumstances and that he wants to live with you.

Answer 7

Tell the judge that you want him with you, and explain what his father does to him,