For free and confidential legal advice about this topic, please contact us here.The law does not set a minimum age for leaving home. This means that if you have your parents’ permission and a safe place to go, you can leave home.The law does say that your parents have a responsibility to look after your needs including making sure you have a home, food and water until you are 18 so if you don’t have permission from your parents and you are under 18, what happens and whether you have to go home depends entirely on your personal situation. We have explained some common situations below. Show
Navigate this pageLeaving home when you’re under 18If you are under 18 and you want to move out of home, generally it will depend on your personal circumstances. Its not illegal to move out of home before you are 18, but since your parents have a responsibility to look after you, they might make you come home. If the police are involved, they will look at where you are staying currently and whether or not you are safe, and look at whether or not you would be safe at home. There are lots of reasons why you might want to move out of home, and these
reasons will affect whether or not you may be brought home. If someone has hurt you or you think they are about to, please call 000 and try go to a safe place, like your local medical centre, hospital or police
station. If you would like some specific help or advice on this topic, please contact us here. Leaving home when you’re over 18Moving out of home is a big decision and it’s important that you make clear plans before you move out. This includes making sure you have a safe place to live that you have enough money, and thinking about how moving out will affect other parts of your life, such as your schooling. Before you make the decision to move out, it’s a good idea to work out a plan with a trusted adult, or a youth counsellor, so you don’t end up in a bad situation. If you would like some specific help or advice on this topic, please contact us here. Moving out - important things to considerNo matter your age, if you before you make the decision to move out, it’s a good idea to work out a plan with a trusted adult, or a youth counsellor, so you don’t end up in a bad situation. These are a couple of the things you’ll have to think about:
What will I need to pay?Moving out and renting a house or apartment can
be expensive and it’s important to work out whether you’ll have enough money to survive.
If you’ll be living in a share house and splitting these costs, you’ll have to make sure you have a very clear agreement in place about:
For more information on renting, check out our page on renting. You might also want to check to see if you are eligible to receive financial assistance from Centrelink. What about going to school?Usually, until you turn 18 your parents have to sign all your important school documents, like forms about enrolment and excursions. Its important to know that different states have different rules about what age you can leave school. If you’re thinking about leaving school when you move out you need to make sure that this is okay. You can check out our page on Leaving School for more information. What identification documents do I need?If you leave home in a hurry, your parents might still have your identification documents (like your birth certificate or passport). This might be a problem in the future if you want to go overseas (and need your passport) or you need ID for a particular reason (like to get a driver’s licence or when you apply for a job). What can I do if I need to leave home suddenly?If you need to leave home immediately because it is not safe but you don’t have anywhere to go you can call a crisis support centre to help you find some accommodation. Crisis accommodation is short term housing for people who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of experiencing homelessness. Check your state below for who you can call for help. If you’re worried about becoming homeless, or you don’t have a place to stay you can check out Shelterme – a website that connects you to different services that can help. You also check out their website here. For more information, you can check out this site. Helpful contactsRemember, whatever is going on, there are always people you can talk to. If you’d like to chat about what’s going on, you can talk to a counsellor at Kids Helpline for free and anonymously on 1800 55 1800, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their number is free from Optus, Telstra and Vodafone mobiles, and
landlines. You can also email them and chat online at some times of the day here. Can you move out of home at 14 in Australia?Leaving home when you're under 18
Its not illegal to move out of home before you are 18, but since your parents have a responsibility to look after you, they might make you come home.
Can I move out at 14?When you're under 16, your parents or carers have a responsibility to keep you safe. That means that you can't decide to move out and your parents can't ask you to leave. If you leave home without your parents' or carers' permission, the police have the right to take you home if it's safe to.
What age can a child legally leave home in Australia?As far as the law is concerned legal age to leave home is 18 years old. Sure, parents may threaten to throw out their kids during heated arguments, and kids might threaten to run away from home. But Australian Law protects children below the age of 18 and punishes parents who abandon their children.
Can you live by yourself at 15 in Australia?There is no law that says what age you can leave home.
These authorities are unlikely to become involved if you are over the age of 15, have a safe place to go and there is nothing illegal happening at the place you move to (prostitution, drug use, crime, under-age sex) and you can support yourself financially.
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