Generally, a child in need of care (CINC) is a person less than 18 years of age who
- Is without adequate parental care
- Has been physically, mentally or emotionally abused or neglected or sexually abused
- Has been abandoned
- Who is not attending school as required
- Who is a run-a-way from home or court-ordered placement
The Kansas Code for Care of Children seeks to remedy such circumstances in order to ensure that each child receives the care, custody, guidance, control and discipline, preferably in the child's own home, as will best serve the child's welfare and the best interests of the state.
It is the duty of the County Attorney to prepare and file the petition alleging a child to be a CINC and to appear at all hearings on the petition and in aid to the court. A CINC case may be resolved by a range of possible dispositions, up to and including termination of parental rights. The goal in the vast majority of CINC cases, however, is to successfully reintegrate the child back into the home.
