[cassie90]

I have a friend who is 16 his mom drinks a lot and is abusive. He has no one else to turn to and is scared that he will end up dead, WHAT CAN CAN I DO OR TELL TELL HIM THAT HE CAN DO TO GET OUT OF THIS SITUATION THAT IS LEGAL AND SAFE:confused:

[artlady]

He can call child protective services and they will help him.
He needs to tell them everything and if he has anyone to verify what he says that would be a good idea as well.

[plantfreek]

Each state has different laws but all have help for children living in stressful or dangerous situations. As a parent of four, foster parent of 15+ years and child advocate I have a couple of suggestions for you that you can think about.
1) He can access the counselors at his school and they can give him the opportunity to discuss his situation and they will have resources they can put him in touch with pretty quickly. A lot of public schools also have trained social workers for situations like this. I've used the one at our school quite often to advocate for our foster kids.
2) Call your local county Child Welfare Agency. This could be the local Aid to Dependent Children agency or some similarly named agency.
3) If you can't find the name of your local agency or you live in a rural area, call your local largest hospital's help line and ask them for a referral to the appropriate agency.
4) Call your county courthouse-they will have a list of all agencies in your county that deal with children.
5) Find your local CASA agency. They can hook you up with a trained volunteer who will be this boy's advocate. They will listen to him, attend any court hearings he may have to go to and help him find a counselor at no cost to him.
There are many, many agencies out there who will advocate for this young man. If he starts feeling like his life is in any danger, whether real or imagined it doesn't matter-it's his reality and his needs should come first! There may also be a youth shelter in your area that you could take him to. We also have a lot of SAFE houses in many towns now and they are noted by a yellow sign in their front yard, in a window or a sign in front of the house or agency. They could be a private home or a business that has signed up as a safe place for any child to go to for help in any situation.
I can't stand to see any child, be they 2 or 18, in any danger. Childhood is difficult enough in the world we live in without a kid not having a great support system to be able to count on and EVERY kid in this country and around the world, has the RIGHT to feel and be SAFE!!
If I can be of any further help feel free to contact me via private message and I will help you if I can. I have a lot of resources and access to information that I will gladly use to help.
Good luck and don't let this young man slip through the cracks please. My AIM user name is bakerchrisplant.
plantfreek