What You Need to Know
The purpose of the Child in Need of Services (CHINS) petition is to obtain a court order mandating family services in order to reunify the youth and parents. The youth can be temporary placed in a residence other than the home of his/her parent for up to nine months. The need for the placement must be based on a serious conflict between the parent and child that cannot be resolved by delivery of services to the family while the child remains at home.
Sometimes, when conflict has escalated between parents and youth, the best course of action is a temporary separation, in which time the family would engage in counseling or other efforts to resolve conflicts and heal the family bond.
A child, parent, or DSHS may file a CHINS petition. A "parent" is defined as the person(s) having legal right to custody of the child and includes custodian or guardian.
Do I Qualify for Filing a CHINS?
A child in need of services is defined by statute, RCW 13.32A.030(5), as a child under the age of 18 who meets at least one of the following three requirements: