National Safe Place (doing business as National Safe Place Network) is a non-profit organization based out of Louisville, Kentucky . It originated in 1983 from an initiative known as "Project Safe Place", established by a short-term residential and counseling center for youth 12 to 17.
57-514: The organization's Safe Place program is intended to provide access to immediate help and support for children and adolescents who are "at risk" or in crisis situations. That includes, for example, children who are runaways or those experiencing homelessness. The purpose is to both defuse a potential crisis situation as well as provide immediate counsel and support so the child in crisis may be directed to an appropriate shelter or accredited care facility. Various sites in select communities participate in
114-500: A parenting plan . The different forms of physical custody include: Joint physical custody , or shared parenting , means that the child lives with both parents for equal or approximately equal amounts of time. In joint custody, both parents are custodial parents and neither parent is a non-custodial parent. With joint physical custody, terms such as "primary custodial parent" and "primary residence" have no legal meaning other than for determining tax status. The term " visitation "
171-469: A Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, claimed that the best interest rule is indeterminate. It is considered to be a broad and vague set of guidelines that only leads to increased conflict amongst the parents instead of promoting cooperation that would actually lead to the best interest of the child being met. Some of these problems specifically include: In order to better analyze the "best interest" of children, several experiments were conducted to observe
228-564: A Safe Place location are quickly connected to the nearby youth shelter. The shelter then provides the counseling and support necessary to reunify family members and develop a plan to address the issues presented by the youth and family. As of 2017, more than 358,000 youths had taken advantage of the program since it began 34 years earlier. In October 2009, National Safe Place launched the TXT 4 HELP initiative, which provides youth immediate access to help and resources through text messaging . Youth can text
285-437: A capacity or willingness to render a quality of care different from that which the father can provide", a New York court stated in 1973. It was at this time that the basis of the "best interest rule" was changed to address many aspects of the child's care in order to promote gender neutrality in decisions regarding custody. These aspects include the child's mental, emotional, physical, religious, and social needs. All children have
342-590: A hundred years. The only exception to maternal presumption was if the mother was considered to be "unfit." Most often, this occurred when women had committed adultery or left their husband. By the early twentieth century, divorce cases became more common, and custody disputed simultaneously became an issue that affected many families. With the changing attitudes of the Roaring 20's, a woman's sexual conduct no longer prevented her from receiving custody for her children. The double standard on sexual conduct of fathers and mothers
399-555: A nation. If a plaintiff files a legal jurisdiction that the plaintiff believes to have more favorable laws than other possible jurisdictions, that plaintiff may be accused of forum shopping. The Hague Convention seeks to avoid this, also in the United States of America , the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act was adopted by all 50 states, family law courts were forced to defer jurisdiction to
456-534: A parent having "custody" of or "access" to a child, a child is now said to "reside" or have "contact" with a parent. Legal custody involves the division of rights between the parents to make important life decisions relating to their minor children. Such decisions may include choice of a child's school, physician, medical treatments, orthodontic treatment, counseling, psychotherapy and religion . Legal custody may be joint, in which case both parents share decision-making rights, or sole, in which case one parent has
513-407: A parent struggling with drug addiction . Studies also show that 89% of child runaways were encouraged to do so by their peers. Runaways have an elevated risk of destructive behavior. Approximately fifty percent of runaways experience difficulties with schooling; including dropping out, expulsion, or suspension. Running away can increase the risk of delinquency for adolescents, and expose them to
570-439: A result, there has been a push to allow for joint custody of children in the most recent years, which strives to best meet the interests of the children and most evidently favors a gender neutral stance on the custody issue. However, the decision is highly situational, for joint custody can only be achieved in the absence of certain exceptions. For example, history of domestic violence found from either parent can most certainly trump
627-693: A runaway during the age range of 11 to 18. Approximately 47 million runaway and homeless adolescents are estimated to be on the streets of India. Studies have shown a higher prevalence of adolescent boys running away than adolescent girls. Familial respect is important in India. Much of the Indian runaway population describes themselves as young people doing everything right at home, but having received harsh treatment from family members all throughout life. Mistreatment consists of anything from favoring one child over another to extreme abuse. Social control theory describes
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#1732901314800684-481: A week to child care while men allocate about 7 hours a week. Additionally, according to the Current Population Survey, in 2013, custodial mothers were more likely to have child support agreements (52.3 percent) comparative to custodial fathers (31.4 percent). Women's and father's rights activists often become involved in matters of child custody since the issue of equal parenting is controversial, most of
741-624: Is a legal term regarding guardianship which is used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent or guardian and a child in that person's care. Child custody consists of legal custody , which is the right to make decisions about the child, and physical custody , which is the right and duty to house, provide and care for the child. Married parents normally have joint legal and physical custody of their children. Decisions about child custody typically arise in proceedings involving divorce , annulment , separation , adoption or parental death. In most jurisdictions child custody
798-516: Is a minor or (depending upon the local jurisdiction) a person under a specified age who has left their parents or legal guardians without permission. Current studies suggest that the primary cause of youth homelessness is family dysfunction in the form of parental neglect , physical or sexual abuse , family substance use disorder , and family violence . Nearly half of runaway youths report that at least one of their parents struggles with alcohol addiction , and at least one third reported
855-567: Is considered a crime in some jurisdictions, but it is usually a status offense punished with probation , or not punished at all. Giving aid or assistance to a runaway instead of turning them in to the police is a more serious crime called "harboring a runaway", and is typically a misdemeanor . The law can vary considerably from one jurisdiction to another; in the United States, there is a different law in every state. A 2003 FBI study showed that there were 123,581 arrests for runaway youths in
912-603: Is determined in accordance with the best interests of the child standard. Following ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in most countries, terms such as parental responsibility , " residence " and " contact " (also known as "visitation", "conservatorship" or "parenting time" in the United States ) have superseded the concepts of "custody" and "access" in some member nations. Instead of
969-427: Is not used in joint physical custody cases, but only for sole custody orders. In joint physical custody, the actual lodging and care of the child is shared according to a court-ordered custody schedule , also known as a parenting plan or parenting schedule . Sole physical custody means that a child resides with only one parent, while the other parent may have visitation rights with their child. The former parent
1026-472: Is the custodial parent while the latter is the non-custodial parent . Comparing 36 western countries in 2005/06, Thoroddur Bjarnason studied the proportion of 11-15-year-old children living in different child custody arrangements. The percent of children living in intact families with both their mother and father were highest in Macedonia (93%), Turkey (89%), Croatia (89%) and Italy (89%), while it
1083-483: Is the principal law that governs child custody. Under that statute and case law, the governing principle in child custody determinations, whether to a parent or third party, is the welfare of the minor. Looking at the history of child custody demonstrates how the views of children and the relationship between husbands and wives have changed over time. The view of children has changed from economic assets to individuals with their own interests. Fathers were also once seen as
1140-521: Is usually decided based on the welfare principle, considering the best interests of the child. Parsi Law : Child custody for Parsis is governed by the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936, where the court considers the welfare of the child as the main criterion. Secular Law : The Guardians and Wards Act, 1890, is applicable to all communities and provides provisions for the appointment of guardians for minors and custody issues. In custody matters,
1197-586: The United States Senate designated March 15-21 as National Safe Place Week, raising awareness of the program. This included national public service announcements featuring actresses Della Reese and Roma Downey . In 2001, Safe Place locations existed in more than 30 states, serving 600 communities. It expanded to the Las Vegas Valley in 2002, and to Minnesota , its 41st state, in 2013. At that time, there were more than 20,000 Safe Place locations in
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#17329013148001254-550: The Presidential Citation for Private Sector Initiatives. The program began expanding nationwide that year. In 1988, the name National Safe Place was established. The program launched in the New York metropolitan area that year, and was in more than 100 cities and counties by 1990. Providian became a financial contributor to the program in 1995, and was later bought out by Aegon , which took over as national sponsor. In 1998,
1311-594: The U.S. The program launched in Colorado Springs in 2017, and in the state of Idaho in 2021. Various community businesses and organizations – including convenience stores, fire stations, schools, libraries, and public transit agencies – are designated as Safe Place sites. Any youth in crisis can walk into a Safe Place location and ask an employee for help. These locations display the yellow, diamond-shaped Safe Place sign. Inside, employees are trained and prepared to assist any young person asking for help. Youth who go to
1368-574: The United States, a runaway is a minor who leaves home without permission and stays away either overnight (14 years old and younger or older and mentally incompetent ) or away from home two nights (15 or over) and chooses not to come home when expected to return. A runaway is different from child abandonment or a "throwaway" youth (a youth who isn't formally abandoned by parents, but is frequently ignored in favor of another sibling). Runaway youth are evenly divided male and female, although girls are more likely to seek help through shelters and hotlines. In
1425-630: The United States, runaway children or youth are widely regarded as a chronic and serious social problem. It is estimated that each year, there are between 1.3 and 1.5 million runaway and homeless youth in the United States According to a 1983 training report on the United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs website, a large percentage of runaways in the US leave their home to escape sexual assault. Running away from home
1482-507: The United States. The Family and Youth Services Bureau of the United States Department of Health and Human Services funds grant programs to help runaway and homeless youth. The organization also provides funding for the National Runaway Switchboard , a national hotline for runaway youth, youth who are thinking about running away or are in crisis, parents, and other concerned adults. Child custody Child custody
1539-774: The Youth & Family Services Network (YFSN) to create the National Safe Place Network. NSPN provides training and technical assistance to licensed Safe Place agencies and NSPN member organizations across the country. The National Safe Place Network also operates the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center (RHYTTAC), a national training resource for FYSB-funded Runaway and Homeless Youth grantees, as well as several other federally funded projects focused on human trafficking and other issues critical to youth service providers. Runaway youth A runaway
1596-541: The child custody disputes. Jurisdiction normally arises from the presence of the children as legal residents of the nation or state where a custody case is filed. However, some nations may recognize jurisdiction based upon a child's citizenship even though the child resides in another country, or may allow a court to take jurisdiction over a child custody case either on a temporary or permanent basis based upon other factors. Forum shopping may occur both between nations and, where laws and practices differ between areas, within
1653-453: The child's best interest in mind. In case of children 12 years and older, the child's preference becomes key to the court ruling. Court may also refer parents to mediation, try "test modes" of various custody arrangements or request psychological and psychiatrical evaluation of children and parents. In exigent circumstances, a parent can file for preliminary injunction for custody or child support payments. The court must decide on whether to grant
1710-503: The court makes orders about parental responsibilities, and have the power to approve and make consent orders. In the Czech Republic , both parents are entrusted with child's custody until a court decides otherwise. A divorce is possible only after a court decision on custody was rendered. A decision should be made within six months, however when parents fail to reach agreement the cases typically take much longer. The court decides with
1767-456: The courts in India focus on the best interests and welfare of the child. They consider factors such as the child's age, education, health, and emotional well-being while deciding custody. It is common for courts to grant joint custody or visitation rights to the non-custodial parent to ensure both parents maintain an active role in the child's life. In Pakistan, the Guardians and Wards Act, of 1890
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1824-493: The family and is increased by prolonged traumatic events. The likelihood of depression among female runaways is typically related to family conflict and communication. Depression in male runaways is typically related to paternal alcohol use disorder and poor family relationships. Negative interactions in relationships within the family appear to greatly influence depressive symptoms for both genders. In Hong Kong , 51.1 percent of at-risk youth identified by social workers have been
1881-447: The head of the household compared to today, when fathers and mothers have more equal standing in the care of their children. During this time period, custodial issues arose with occasions other than divorce such as the death of the father or both parents, inability of parents to care for the children, or with situations involving illegitimate children. Children at the time were seen as economic assets with labor value. In addition to this,
1938-408: The home state. In the context of cases regarding custody, the "best interest" rule suggests that all legal decisions made to accommodate the child are made with the goal of ensuring a child's happiness, security and overall well being. There are many different factors that go into the decision that is made in a child's best interest, which include: the child's health, environment and social interests,
1995-423: The importance of parent-child attachment, combating parental alienation, and access enforcement". Courts cannot determine an individual child's best interests with certainty, and judges are "forced to rely on their own interpretations of children’s interests, and idiosyncratic biases and subjective value-based judgments, including gender bias". Judges are currently using the ‘best interest of the child’ standard that
2052-518: The injunction within seven days. In India , child custody laws primarily fall under personal laws specific to different religions and the secular Guardians and Wards Act, 1890. Here is an overview: Hindu Law : For Hindus, the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956, govern child custody. The custody of a child under the age of five is usually granted to
2109-424: The matter by the court." In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, divorce rates increased dramatically. Due to the nature of divorce, the rules governing child custody became increasingly difficult to determine. It was at this time that the idea of mothers being favored to gain custody of children in the event of a divorce was challenged. "The simple fact of being a mother does not, by itself, indicate
2166-454: The mother, and for children above five, the court considers the child's welfare as the paramount factor. Muslim Law : For Muslims, custody is governed by the personal laws of the parties involved. Generally, the mother gets custody of children until a certain age (Hizanat), after which the father gets custody. Christian Law : For Christians, the Divorce Act, 1869, govern child custody. It
2223-404: The nineteenth century. Children were seen to have interests of their own that were often associated with the care of a nurturing mother. The women's movement of the time also fought for women's right to child custody in their campaign. Judges eventually began to favor the "best interests of the child," which, especially for young and female children, was associated with mothers. Maternal presumption
2280-546: The only other important consideration in determining custody was the ability of the adults to supervise and raise the child. Widows would lose their children because they would not be able to support them. These children would be taken from the mother and given to another family that would support the child in return for the child's labor services. Otherwise, fathers were seen as the head of the household and had complete custody rights to children. The view of children as servants to their fathers and economic assets began to change in
2337-462: The opinions of children themselves. Children of divorce were found to want equal time with both of their parents. Studies conducted by Wallerstein, Lewis and Blakeslee (2002) show that children from all age ranges indicate that equal or shared parenting is of their best interest 93 percent of the time. Several other studies were able to produce similar results, including Smart (2002), Fabricus and Hall (2003), Parkinson, and Cashmore and Single (2003). As
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2394-507: The possibility of joint custody for a child. In an economic analysis, Imran Rasul has concluded that if one parent values child quality more than the other, the spouses prefer that parent to have sole custody, while joint custody is optimal for parents with relatively equal valuation of child quality. He has further concluded that "joint custody is more likely to be optimal when divorce costs fall, so that children retain contact with both parents" and that "this may improve child welfare". As
2451-552: The program, displaying its logo to signify the location as a Safe Place. Project Safe Place, a youth outreach program, began in 1983. It was launched by Shelter House, a YMCA in Louisville, Kentucky , serving the local community. The Safe Place program was created by Shelter House employee Larry Wooldridge. A fire station, located at 6th and Hill streets, served as the first Safe Place location, in partnership with Shelter House. In 1986, U.S. president Ronald Reagan awarded Safe Place
2508-402: The relationship each parent has with the child, and the ability of each parent to address the needs of the child. The "best interest" rule has been considered to be a standard in determining child custody for the most recent 40 years in history. Although it has been so widely favored amongst legal systems, there are some deficiencies to the concept. Robert Mnookin, an American lawyer, author, and
2565-429: The right to services that prevent them from physical or psychological harm. This means that when assessing the best interest of the child, it is not only important to assess the parents who are fighting for custody, but also the environments in which the child would be placed under the custody of either parent. In a situation where neither parent would be deemed an appropriate caretaker for a child, custody would be given to
2622-457: The rights to make key decisions without regard to the wishes of the other parent. Physical custody establishes where a child lives and who decides day-to-day issues regarding the child. If a parent has physical custody of a child, that parent's home will normally be the child's legal residence ( domicile ). The times during which parents provide lodging and care for the child is defined by a court-ordered custody parenting schedule , also known as
2679-536: The risk of victimization. There have been many studies in multiple countries about "street children"—youth who have run away and are presently homeless—showing that they have a high risk of taking illicit drugs, developing sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unintended pregnancy, depression, suicide attempts, and sexual exploitation. Greater proportions of runaway youths experience clinically significant post-traumatic stress disorder than normative youths. Trauma generally begins with runaway youth's experiences within
2736-481: The roles of children have changed over the past couple of centuries from economic assets to individuals, so has the role of mothers and fathers in who would provide the best care for the child. Many courts and judges lean more towards the maternal figure when there is a trial for custody of a child. According to Family Change and Time Allocation in American Families study done at UCLA, women allocate about 13.9 hours
2793-732: The runaway situation in China. Adolescent friendships can interfere with positive influences parents place in the adolescent's life. According to the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, approximately 150,000 runaway children and youth were documented in 2006. Unrealistic expectations of school has caused many adolescents to run away. Many runaways are low achievers who reported they were constantly criticized by their teachers and experienced their teachers indifferent attitude toward them. Overbearing parents authoritarian, overprotective, and neglectful styles have led to adolescents running away. In
2850-407: The time combining the interests of the child with those of the mothers or fathers. Women's rights activists are concerned about "family violence, recognizing primary caregiving, and inequities associated with awarding legal joint custody without a corresponding responsibility for child care involvement". Father's rights activists are more concerned about their "disenfranchisement from children’s lives,
2907-558: The two parents. In the case of divorce or separation of parents many hurdles can fall in the way regarding the custody of their children, deciding who will be the custodial parent and so forth. In Australia when parents cannot come to an agreement which meets both of their needs when it comes to the custody of their child/ren cases are taken to the Family Court of Australia , which happens in more scenarios than expected. When parents cannot agree on these arrangements and take matters to court,
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#17329013148002964-633: The word "safe" and their current location to receive an immediate text response with the location and phone number of the closest Safe Place site or youth shelter. If a site or shelter is not within a 50-mile range, the youth receives the number to the National Runaway Safeline (1-800-RUNAWAY). In 2012, National Safe Place added the option for live, interactive texting with a trained mental health professional. With this addition, youth can immediately connect with Master's-level mental health professionals by text. In 2013, National Safe Place merged with
3021-469: Was judicially developed through legislature such as the "Tender Years Doctrine" that presumed that children should be placed with their mothers in custody debates. Granting custody to the father was seen "to hold nature in contempt, and snatch helpless, puling infancy from the bosom of an affectionate mother, and place it in the coarse hands of the father" when the mother was "the softest and safest nurse of infancy". This maternal presumption continued for over
3078-734: Was lowest in Ukraine , Poland , Croatia, Turkey, the Netherlands and Romania. It was 5% in Ireland and the United States and 7% in Canada and the United Kingdom. Shared parenting is increasing in popularity, and by 2016/17, the percentage in Sweden had increased to 34% among the 6-12 year old age group and 23% among 13 to 18-year-old children. A child custody case must be filed in a court that has jurisdiction over
3135-657: Was lowest in the United States (60%), Romania (60%), Estonia (66%) and Latvia (67%). In the other anglophone countries, it was 70% in the United Kingdom , 71% in Canada and 82% in Ireland. Among the children who did not live with both their parents, the percent in a shared parenting versus sole custody arrangement was highest in Sweden (17%), Iceland (11%), Belgium (11%), Denmark (10%), Italy (9%) and Norway (9%). At 2% or less, it
3192-582: Was made to consider the interests of the child before the mothers and fathers, including the child's mental, emotional, physical, religious, and social needs. Child poverty , lack of resources, and women's economic dependence on men all remain pressing issues that are not effectively noted during the custody trials. Each parent has a responsibility under the Australian Family Law Act 1975 for their children. The parental responsibility does not change in cases of separation or dysfunction between
3249-452: Was removed. The new rule according to Keezer on the Law of Marriage and Divorce stated that "Where the children are of tender years, other things being equal, the mother is preferred as their custodian, and this more especially in the case of female children, and this though she may have been guilty of delinquencies in the past but there is no evidence that she was delinquent at the time of determining
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