15-year-old “Kyle” and his mother moved to Ohio after she lost her job. Kyle was unhappy at the move and things were not going well at his new school. After another argument with his mom, Kyle ran away, back to Illinois to be with friends and other relatives. Shortly after arriving, he found himself out of money, out of friends and wanting to go back to Ohio to be with his mom. Kyle came to the police in search of help. He knew he was listed as a runaway, and hoped someone would help him. A CYFS advocate responded and contacted Mom. Arrangements were made with a local bus company, a ticket purchased from program funds and Kyle returned home later that same day. A referral for follow-up services was arranged by the CYFS worker for the family in Ohio.
A straight-A student, 17-year-old “Marcy” had been living with her cousins who were her guardians since she was nine. For the past four years, she reported that the mental and physical abuse in her home grew in frequency and intensity. One night after a high school football game, Marcy decided to refuse to return home and had no idea where to turn. Marcy’s friend called the Crisis line at CYFS for her and arranged to meet an advocate at the police department. Marcy told her story to the advocate and a DCFS investigator that night and was taken into foster care immediately. Marcy is now safe and secure and successfully continues to attend school locally and will graduate in December. With three academic scholarship offers, she is currently deciding which college to attend to continue her education.
14-year-old “Taylor” has had problems getting along with her mom for as long as she can remember. They argued frequently and often harsh words were exchanged. There was even some pushing and shoving. Taylor began skipping school and missing curfew regularly. After one of these arguments, Taylor was told to leave the home. Taylor’s mother refused to allow her daughter to return home until some help for the family was in place. Taylor stayed in short-term foster care while counseling was started. Following the first counseling session, Taylor returned home and both she and her mother say communication is getting better each day. They continue to attend weekly counseling sessions with a CYFS counselor and a CYFS Crisis caseworker provides regular contact for additional support.