Informal FINS Referral Form

The informal FINS process attempts to define self-destructive behaviors by a child and conduct by other family members which contribute to the child's harm, and which warrant court intervention in the family's life so that appropriate services to remedy the family's dysfunction can be identified. Children and families can be referred to FINS for any of the following behaviors:

1) Child is truant or has willfully and repeatedly violated lawful school rules. "Truant" means the repeated or habitual unauthorized absence or tardiness of a child from school.

2) Child is ungovernable. "Ungovernable" means the child's habitual disregard of the lawful and reasonable demands of his caretakers and that the child is beyond their control.

3) Child is a runaway. "Runaway" means the continued absence of the child from the home of his caretaker without the caretaker's consent.

4) Child repeatedly possessed or consumed intoxicating beverages, or

has misrepresented or deceived his age for the purpose of purchasing

or receiving such beverages from any person, or has repeatedly

loitered around any place where such beverages are the principal

commodities sold or handled.

5) Child committed an offense applicable only to children.

6) Child under 10 years of age committed any act which if committed by

an adult, would be a crime under any federal, state, or local law.

7) Caretaker has caused, encouraged, or contributed to the child's behavior.

8) After notice, caretaker willfully failed to attend a meeting with child's teacher, school principal, or other appropriate school employee to discuss child's truancy, the child's repeated violation of school rules, or other serious educational problems of the child.

9) Child found incompetent to proceed with a delinquency matter.

10) Child found to have engaged in cyberbullying.

11) Repealed by Acts 2012, No. 730, §2

INFORMAL FINS REFERRAL FORM

Please select the applicable grounds for referral under Article 730 (Check all that apply):