Dear sam, i am writing to you because i'm not sure what else to do, i'm 15 and i don't want to live with my family anymore, my dad emotionally and sometimes physically abuses me and my mum is disabled, but theres nobody in my family who will take me in, social services have been called several times by school but they have always closed the case, i was wondering if there is anyway i can place myself into fostercare/care
Sam
Hi there,
Im really glad you got in touch. You have the right to be safe at home and you shouldnt have to cope with emotional abuse or physical abuse from dad.
You did really well to talk to someone at school about the situation. But sometimes if people dont hear more about a problem they can think that it's stopped happening. If you explain to someone in school that youre still being abused at home, they have to take you seriously. Perhaps you could tell them youre unhappy about the social workers closing the case too.
Being placed in foster care or living in any kind of care has to be arranged by Social services, who have a responsibility to make sure children live somewhere safe. The Who Cares Trust explains more about how going into care usually works and might help make things that social services have already said easier to understand. You can also talk to other young people about their experiences on our Living in Care message board.
Having a family member who is disabled can have impact on peoples lives in lots of different ways. If youd like to talk to other young people who has a parent with disabilities you could use the Living with Deafness and Disability message board. If you spend time looking after mum or helping out with things that she finds difficult you may be a young carer. You can get support with this too.
Remember that you can always contact one of our counsellors to explain more about your situation. They would be able to talk more about what other options you may have.
Take care, Sam
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