Winn Parish Families in Need of Services (FINS) officer Aleta Hoffman was the guest speaker at the Winnfield Rotary Club’s Aug. 13 meeting, where she outlined the program’s role in addressing youth behavior issues and raised concerns about truancy in parish schools.

Hoffman, well known in the community through her years operating The Youth Shop with her mother and her service as a deputy sheriff under former Sheriff Cranford Jordan, was recruited for the FINS position by Judge Anastasia Wiley following the retirement of long-time officer Kathy Turner.

FINS is a community-based program designed to intervene in cases involving children who are truant, run away from home or exhibit ungovernable behavior. The process involves family conferences and informal service plans intended to resolve issues without formal juvenile court proceedings.

The FINS officer works with parish schools, the Winn Parish School Board, Judge Wiley, the District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Office of Juvenile Justice and the Sheriff’s Office. A case is opened after a referral from the community or school regarding behavior that poses a risk to the child, family or community. The officer then meets with the family, develops a plan, enters into a contract and monitors progress.

Hoffman said local families are often referred to programs such as Strengthening Families parent and child training, behavioral specialists, Winn Community Health Center’s mental health clinic and Eckerd Connects, which provides in-home counseling and therapy.

In her first year, Hoffman reported 63 complaints, 58 of which involved truancy — defined as more than four unexcused absences under Louisiana’s compulsory school attendance law. Most referrals came from local schools after their own interventions failed.

She emphasized truancy is a statewide problem, with the Louisiana Department of Education and the Louisiana Supreme Court now working together to enforce attendance laws. Winn Parish currently has a truancy rate of 50 percent, meaning half of enrolled students have more than four unexcused absences.

“Schools can’t teach children who don’t attend,” Hoffman said, adding that the issue has far-reaching consequences for the parish. She noted that communities rely on their younger generations to be educated and engaged citizens for long-term stability and growth.