Locating Your Youth

What to do if your teen runs away from home

Most youth who run away return within 48 hours. However, any youth who leaves home needs to know someone, somewhere cared enough to look for him/her. Don't panic and do your best to prepare for your child's return.

Steps to locate your youth:

• call the police and give as much information as you have; make arrangements to give them photos
• start a notebook, recording the officer's name and badge number, then record steps as you take them
• call your youth's friends and check his/her hangouts
• call area hospitals
• make fliers with your child's photo and a description of identifying characteristics (braces, piercing, tattoos, distinctive accent, etc.)—include how to reach you and the law enforcement agency handling the investigation
• get in touch with runaway shelters in your area and in neighboring states
• call runaway hotlines to leave a message in case your child calls the hotline
• prepare to deal with the issues in your teen's life when he or she contacts you or returns home—talking to a counselor about your own feelings may be helpful
• listen to what your child is saying and work together with a counselor to resolve your conflicts

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