Q: This child has been in court system for a year due to pot use and several crimes against property. He fathered one child and supposedly girl friend is pregnant with 2^nd. He is living with mom and 3 younger siblings. She feels he is treating her and them poorly and before he creates more havoc, she could like to see him on his own. He had a job paying $400 a week and was living with girlfriend and her parents. He is “off paper” in October. (Pittsburgh, PA)

A: So, apparently, this child was adjudicated delinquent and his juvenile probation case is about to close. So, on a scale from 1 to 10 he is not that bad if he successfully competed probation, but he is disruptive and abusive at home. You can try counseling. If that doesn’t work you may want to look toward filing a dependency complaint in Juvenile Court. If he is disruptive to your home to the extent he is not welcome there, he might be using drugs and is not attending school, a court may adjudicate him to be a dependent child. If this happens, the court will have jurisdiction over him and force him to comply. To inquire about filing a dependency action, you can consult with CYF or call the police. You can also consult with a lawyer who handles juvenile law.