1. REMAIN CALM.  You don't want to end up in a lockdown facility.

2. Contact the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth as soon as possible.  They are the very best people to contact if you feel your rights are being violated.  Their phone number is:   (416) 325-5669  in Toronto, and 1-800-263-2841 toll free, and they DO accept collect calls.  

3. There are not one, but two different laws that state you have the right to contact the Provincial Advocate's office and that you are also entitled to make those calls in private.  Those particular laws are section 103 of the Child and Family Services Act and subsection 18 (2) of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth Act. 
If you aren't allowed to call, please ask the staff member for this in writing.  They probably won't do this because they know you can turn around and sue them in the future for this, among other things.

4. If staff will not let you use the phone, get to an outside phone immediately.  If this means you must run away to do so, DO IT!  You're not doing anything wrong by doing this; only enforcing your rights to call.  One important thing to note is that if you are picked up by the cops as a result of running away, it is important to inform them of these violations, so they can write this down and this may be useful in the future when you go to sue.

5. If you decide to run away, and you can get to downtown Toronto, why not go right to the Provincial Advocate's office?  The Provincial Advocate's office is located at 401 Bay Street on the 22nd floor.  This is the large office building called the 'Simpson Tower' on the west side of The Bay on Queen Street.  You can get there from the Queen or Osgoode subway stations, or by taking the 6 Bay bus to Queen street from Bay station.  They usually have people around who can see you from Monday-Friday from 9-5.

6. If you are subjected to any kind of reprisal or punishment as a result of contacting or attempting to contact the Child Advocate's office, or if you were punished for running away to make that call, you MUST make a note of who punished you, the date of the reprisal or punishment, what the punishment/reprisal was, and any other details you may feel are relevant.  Keep these details in a safe place so that you have them for the Child Advocate's Office, or if you decide to sue in the future, as in this case you would likely have a cause of action.  Also, if there are any witnesses, make sure you keep in contact with them; this will help your case a lot.

7. Submit your information to us by using the contact form on our site.  We can then make an assessment of your situation and advise you accordingly.  We also have other contacts who may be of great help to your situation.

IF YOU ARE 16 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER

If you wish, you can contact the Provincial Advocate.  However, due to your age, you now have additional rights.  Under section 14 of the Health Care Consent Act, if you are 16 years of age or older, you have the right to refuse further treatment at any time. 

That’s right...if you're 16 or older, you usually have the right to say 'NO', and walk out the door. 

Unfortunately, section 14 doesn't work in every case, however if you aren't in lockdown, chances are you are indeed capable of making the decision, and it should work.

If staff simply tell you that you can't leave until you're 18, tell them that is not the case and to review the Health Care Consent Act, which states the age is 16.  This would also be an excellent time to call the Provincial Advocate.  Additionally, we have contacts who may be able to assist you in getting out of care at 16 years of age.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are presently taking psychiatric medications, DO NOT stop taking them without first consulting a doctor.  This is VERY important, as some of these medications have severe withdrawal symptoms.  If you need assistance in finding one, we may be able to help you find a doctor that will slowly take you off the medications, and have you tested for underlying conditions (eg thyroid, liver, diabetes, etc...)