§ 713 Jurisdiction

If someone claims a child is a "person in need of supervision" (often called a PINS case), that case must be handled by family court. This usually applies to kids who are said to be beyond their parents' control, skipping school, running away, or breaking other rules that aren't necessarily crimes but still cause serious problems at home or school.

The word "exclusive" here matters a lot. It means no other court, like criminal court or a different civil court, can hear this type of case. Family court is the only place set up to deal with these situations from the very beginning.

For families dealing with this kind of situation, this means you'll need to go through family court to address these concerns. The court has the specific job of looking at what's going on with the child and figuring out what kind of help, supervision, or services might be needed.