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Human services officials say ChINS teams aim to keep students out of juvenile system but staffing is limited
Summary
The department said the Children in Need of Services (ChINS) teams are small, zone-based units that focus on early intervention to avoid child welfare or juvenile justice involvement; lawmakers raised concerns about coverage and confusion among schools over roles and responsibilities.
Jessica Thomason, executive director for Human Services at the Department of Health and Human Services, told the House Appropriations Committee that North Dakota’s ChINS program is designed to intervene on age-related issues such as chronic absenteeism before students enter the child welfare or juvenile justice systems.
“ChINS work … the work hasn't changed significantly since before juvenile justice reform,” Thomason said, adding that ChINS staff “are employed by human service zones” and that the teams currently are very small.
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