A child under the age of 18 who does not attend school or behaves in a way that is dangerous or out of control, or often disobeys his or her parents, guardians or other authorities, may be found to be a Person In Need of Supervision or “PINS”. All PINS proceedings are heard in Family Court.
“Ask any parent in the state of New York and they will tell you that being a parent is no easy task. Most parents encounter the usual amount of disobedience from their children with situations such as refusing to clean their room and talking back to a parent. But when this disobedient behavior escalates to skipping school repeatedly or leaving home repeatedly without parental consent, families can feel overwhelmed and are in need of support.
These youth have committed no crime and their behavior may be more indicative of harm they have or are suffering from. Most youth and their families will thrive successfully with community-based services, supports and opportunities.
Each municipality in New York State (NYS) must designate a PINS lead agency that is responsible to assess and intervene to support youth with PINS behavior and their families.”