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FAMILIES IN NEED OF
SERVICES (FINS)
Families In Need of Services
(FINS) is a legislatively created juvenile court proceeding enacted into law
upon passage of the Louisiana Children’s Code in 1991. The purpose of FINS,
Title VII, is to define self-destructive behaviors by the 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 secured. The title consists of the following:
1) secures
the effectiveness of the court’s intervention by explicitly confirming its duty
to obtain the cooperation and coordination of all public institutions or
agencies having responsibility to supply services to any member of the family
referred to the court;
2) requires
establishing, when appropriate, a family service plan binding upon all family
members and the appropriate service providers; and
3) protects
the integrity of the family by authorizing adjudication and the imposition of a
disposition judgment requiring participation in a plan of services only after
available voluntary alternatives have been exhausted.
The FINS Department accepts
referrals from parents, law enforcement, schools or concerned adults for the
following behaviors:
1) a
child is ungovernable;
2) a
child is truant or has willfully and repeatedly violated lawful school rules;
3) a
child is a runaway;
4) a
child has repeatedly possessed or consumed intoxicating beverages or has
misrepresented or deceived their 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) a
child under ten years of age has committed any act which if committed by an
adult would be a crime under any federal, state or local law;
6) a
caretaker has caused, encouraged or contributed to a child’s behaviors
enumerated in this above, or to the commission of delinquent acts;
7) a
caretaker, after notice, has willfully failed to attend a meeting with the
child’s teacher, school principal or other appropriate school employee to
discuss the child’s truancy, repeated violation of school rules, or other
serious educational problems; or
8) a
child has committed an offense applicable only to children.
The FINS Director discusses
referrals to the program with the District Attorney’s Office to determine if the
charges are valid. The FINS Director has the option of sending a warning letter
on those referrals which do not appear to require intervention. All other
referrals are assigned to the FINS Intake Officer. Letters are sent to the
parent and child to appear for an assessment interview, at which time the
Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teens (POSIT) and the Problem Oriented
Screening Instrument for Parents (POSIP) are administered.
Upon receiving the results of
the screening, the FINS Intake Officer conducts an interview with the parent and
child and a plan of service is developed. Possible dispositions include
warn/release, developing an Informal Family Services Plan which diverts the
child from formal court proceedings, referral to Court for appropriate
adjudication and judicial probation, and/or placement in a suitable residential
or treatment facility. When referrals require intensive supervision, the case is
assigned to one of the FINS monitoring tracks.
TRUANCY ASSESSMENT AND SERVICE CENTER (TASC)
This program provides assessments and
services to already identified truants and to students who are at-risk for
truant tendencies, as identified by a joint effort of OJJS and the Calcasieu
Parish School Board. The program will focus on early intervention and proactive
approaches to combating truancy problems among students in grades K through 5.
The Truancy Assessment and Service Center is located at the Rosteet Annex, 2423
6th Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601. Ms. Bonnie Landreneau is the
Coordinator of TASC and may be reached at 439-8038.
MENTAL HEALTH CASE MANAGEMENT
A case manager
works with juveniles who are displaying mental health problems to reduce the
risk factors associated with future delinquency, and work towards implementing
an integrated screening and assessment instrument.
CHILD ADVOCACY PROGRAM
A child abuse recovery case management program
targets juveniles who have been identified as victims of child abuse and are now
displaying negative behavior patterns. The case manager works with our crime
victims therapist to assist these juveniles through establishing a continuum of
services in the community to help the juveniles recover from the effects
associated with violence.
WHERE / WHEN ARE FINS SERVICES PROVIDED
Services are provided Monday
through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and on Wednesdays until 8:00 PM. Intake
services are normally conducted on site. Case Managers meet with the client in
their home, at school, or other community agencies for other service-related
needs. Upon request, the FINS Department accommodates clients in need of
services outside of traditional working hours.
Ms. Carrie Dean is the FINS Director. For more
information about the FINS Department contact her at
cdean@cppj.net.
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