Help available for families facing problems

By ELISE CASTELLI

Union Leader Correspondent (New Hampshire), January 30, 2006

LONDONDERRY – Several organizations offer services aimed at reuniting families and helping families work through problems that may lead to runaway situations.

"It is difficult to anticipate a runaway event," said Deborah Brady, a senior case manager for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The signs are usually considered "typical" teenage behavior — withdrawing from the family, hanging out with friends the parents do not know or skipping school.

"Usually the signs happen a year or two before a runaway event," she said of the 1.7 million runaway cases reported annually, according to Department of Justice data. "Parents need to reconnect with teenagers. Asking them where they are going and what they are doing is important information."

Family dynamics and peer conflicts are the top reasons why runaway teenagers flee home, according to the National Runaway Switchboard, a hotline for children in crisis.

Once on the street, the teenagers that stay there for a long time often turn to a life of crime to survive, said Maureen Blaha, executive director of the switchboard. The switchboard focuses on family reunification, offering runaways free bus tickets home through Greyhound and parents a chance to leave a voice message for their children.

Cynthia Marshall, interim executive director of the Upper Room, a family resource center in Derry, promotes "active parenting" as a means for helping families resolve issues.

"The biggest reason teenagers run away is because they feel they have no control over their own life . . . They think they are going to go out and find it by running away," she said. "An active parent gives their teen the power to make decisions about their own lives with in limits and boundaries, while at the same time is encouraging."

The Upper Room offers classes on becoming an active and engaged parent. The organization also offers strength-building workshops to allow teens to find areas where they excel.

For more information about the Upper Room call (603) 437-8477. For the National Runaway Switchboard call (800) RUN-AWAY. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children can be reached at (800) THE-LOST.