The court may decide that the best way to help your child is to order informal assistance with a probation officer. You and your child must agree to informal assistance. The probation officer may refer your child to a public or private organization or a person for psychiatric, psychological, educational, occupational, medical, dental or social services, and may hold meetings with you and your child to help solve problems that led to you or the school district filing the application.

The first referral for informal assistance is for 90 days. At the end of the 90 days, the case may be brought back to court for an informal assistance review hearing. Informal assistance may be extended for an additional 90 days if you and your child agree. The court may also dismiss the case or schedule it for a fact-finding hearing. At the end of the second referral, the court will either dismiss the case or schedule the fact-finding hearing. If the case is dismissed, the judge will issue an expungement order.