James Barrett, PhD

If you take out a CHINS on your child there are some risks. First, although a CHINS is not a legal charge, you are allowing the juvenile courts access to your child and home.  A probation officer will be assigned and in a worst-case scenario your child could be placed in a 45-day diagnostic group home if he continues to be truant or recalcitrant.  Some parents just are not comfortable with the court system and that is understandable.  Second, the reality of a CHINS is that it does not have much “teeth.”  Most towns have one juvenile probation officer for the whole town and with all of the juveniles with serious legal charges on their caseload they just do not have the time to keep close watch on all the CHINS cases.  Juveniles who are somewhat systems-savvy often pick up on the fact that their PO is unlikely to stop by the house to make sure they are in by curfew on a Friday night.  Bottom-line I advise parents that if there is a real risk their child could be arrested because of their risky behavior a CHINS can be a worthwhile preventative step.  However, as with any other parenting decision, it is critical to know the facts as well as the pros and cons before taking action.