Emancipation or CPS

[flute_hero]

My question involves juvenile law in the State of: Pennsylvania

Hello all!!

I am fourteen days shy of turning 16, and I am going to be a junior in high school next year. I have one younger brother; my parents have been separated (yes, separated, not divorced) for almost ten years now.

My problem is that I do not feel safe in either of my houses for different reasons.

Let's start with my father's house; to put it simply, he has an extreme case of obsessive compulsive disorder which results in what some have called a "pack rat" syndrome. He has come to collect every newspaper that has ever been delivered our house along with old computers and parts to old computers that he continually promises to "fix up and get rid of." There are paths to get from room to room because of all the junk that has accumulated over the years. One of my reasons for feeling unsafe is that the wiring in this house is EXTREMELY old, and with hundreds of pounds of newspapers as kindling, the house is a major fire hazard. The other reason why I feel unsafe is that I am extremely allergic to penicillin, which means I am also very allergic to mold. Dishes from three months ago will sit in the damp sink in an un-air conditioned house, festering mold. It has somehow become my job to wash all of these, despite my allergy. (I would do them over time, like week to week, but during the school year I am very, very busy and cannot with all of my honors classes and extra curricular activities.) I am usually sick for two or three days after this and am told over and over that I am "faking it." My father sits in front of the television and computer after coming home from his sit behind a desk job. My brother is slowly taking up this lifestyle as well.

As for my mother's house, her fiancee, who resides with us, is abusive both verbally and physically. He has only ever hit anyone in one incident, in which I called the police. The person whom he hit, my boyfriend, did not press charges for fear of not seeing me again. I consider him an alcoholic (at least one beer a day, and going to the club almost every other day) and do not want to be in this environment anymore. My mom makes excuses for him, saying that he was hit as a child and that he doesn't mean to yell. I feel that this is a poor excuse, but she claims that she loves him and that should be enough for me.

Sorry that this is long, but I feel that my situation best be explained entirely. Should I become emancipated or contact CPS? If I were to be emancipated, I would have a job and an apartment lined up, both from a family friend willing to rent it to me for a small amount of money; the job would provide me with enough money to buy food for myself and pay rent. I completely understand the hardships of emancipation, but I am trying to discover my best options, which also includes CPS. What would be entailed if I contacted CPS? Would I be put in a family residence or into a foster home? Can I choose where I want to go?

Any information would greatly be appreciated as well as help on which to choose.

Thank you for your time!

[525601minutes]

"What would be entailed if I contacted CPS? Would I be put in a family residence or into a foster home? Can I choose where I want to go?"

Call CPS. They will send out a social worker to assess the situation. Unless there is clear and compelling evidence that you are in immediate danger you will not be immediately pulled from the home.
THey might offer family support services such as parenting classes or substance abuse education etc.
If you are removed from the home you could end up in a group home, private foster care residence or a number of alternative situations.

Do you have any family who can help you other than your mom and dad?

[cbg]

It's not as easy as just saying, I'll go get emancipated, and then doing it. For one thing, PA stands alone in that there is no overall state law regarding emancipation; whether a teen can be emancipated AT ALL and if so, what the requirements are, varies by county. You'd have to investigate whether or not your county will even allow emancipation and if so, what they require.

It is questionable at best whether even the most lenient of emancipation rules would consider, "A family friend will rent me an apartment and give me a job so I can pay him the rent" to be sufficient evidence of self-support, even in the event that your county will permit a 16 year old to emancipate.

If your thread draws a response from the responder FlyinHawk, I strongly urge you to pay attention to what he has to say, as he not only is in your state but is the SOLE minor to post on these boards looking for emancipation, to actually achieve it.

[flute_hero]

Thanks, 525601minutes. Is there any way I could find a website for CPS to get a local number and check out their website? I try not to google things like that for fear of contacting some random person... and as for family I have one uncle that lives a few counties over... other than that not really..

cbg, I completely understand that emancipation is not easy but I was just curious as to whether CPS was a better option... I'm only trying to explore my options as of now... Thank you for your input, and I will definitely explore the options that 525601minutes has explained to me.

[cbg]

There's an excellent chance that CPS is your ONLY option.

[525601minutes]

Call 1-800-932-0313 - good luck to you!

[flute_hero]

thank you so much for your help!