How do you cash a check? Can a parent cash a check for his/her child without the child being present?
I am 16 and I do not have a bank account but I received a check in the mail for payment for a job I worked at

The only problem is that when I came home, the envelope with the check in it was already open, so someone(maybe my parents) may have stolen something from it

I still see a check telling me how much money I should get and how many hours/overtime I worked and everything

But I don't know how to cash it

What if someone already cashed it?
How would a bank or a bank machine know its me that's cashing the check?

What if my parents stole my check and cashed it, saying that they're cashing it for a dependent?

When I cash a check at my bank they require the person cashing the check to have an account with them and have a valid id or debot card with pin to access the account. I am not positive but I think most banks are like this. There are also check cashing businesses that will charge a fee to cash your check... normally a percentage of the cash you are receiving. I believe you need a valid ID for these as well. I am not familiar with how old you have to be though.. I think you said you were 16 in another thread, so it might be a problem for you but it won't hurt to try.

If I understand your question correctly, you still have the actual check? If that is correct, then it has not been cashed. Any bank, or check cashing facility, would keep the check for further processing after it had been cashed. In order to cash the check with no bank account, you have a couple of options. You can sign it over to someone with an account, you simply endorse the back of the check with the wording "pay to the order of *So and So*", and then sign your name under it. The person you are signing it over to also signs the check, and should have no problem cashing it at their bank. (you should be present with ID available when the person is cashing it for you.)
Another option is to go to the bank the check is drawn off, (the name of the bank should appear somewhere on the front of the check), and they should be able to cash it for you, even if you have no account with them. Sometimes banks will charge a fee to do this, they will also need some sort of ID, and sometimes a thumbprint. Good Luck!