• "Child In Need Of Services", refers to a child whose behavior, conduct or condition presents or results in a serious threat to the well-being and physical safety of the child.
• "Child In Need Of Supervision", refers to a child who either while subject to compulsory school attendance, is habitually and without justification absent from school, or without reasonable cause and without the consent of his parent or lawful custodian, remains away from home.

The goal of the CHINS program is to provide intensive preventative services to families in order to reduce the number of children entering foster care.

Services provided include:

• Gathering information to assess the family's needs and crisis counseling
• Making referrals to public and private providers for such services as counseling, substance abuse assessments and parent training
• Staffing with the Newport News Family Assessment and Planning Team
• Making recommendations and reporting progress to the court.