To find that a child is a CHINS at a fact-finding hearing (trial), DCS must prove three elements: (1) the parent’s actions or inactions have seriously endangered the child; (2) that the child’s needs are unmet; and (3) that those needs are unlikely to be met without State coercion. It is the third of these elements that the Supreme Court has found to be the most important. The purpose of a CHINS proceeding is to protect the child, not punish the parent. Therefore, at the time ... Read More