Posted on August 23, 2019
A report from intern Chris Frascella and VP Mary Coogan detail the Department of Children and Families’ new vision to help children be safe, healthy, and connected, helping guide their mission towards improving child welfare in New Jersey.
Posted on August 21, 2019
Therapist that are treating a child or parent who is involved with the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency (CP&P, or Division, formerly the Division of Youth and Family Services, or DYFS ) may be asked to provide reports concerning them. This guide provides information about the court process, the various people encountered, and the therapist's role in the process.
To complete this guide, ACNJ sought input from different individual entities involved in CP&P cases called “stakeholders”. The hope is that as partners in the process, therapists providing services to children and families will come to understand the cultural background of the family, as well as the enormous stress and challenges many of these families face due to poverty, racial discrimination and stereotyping, homelessness, lack of education, health problems, living in high crime areas, and/or undocumented status. Alliances formed with families based on a basic understanding of life circumstances will increase the likelihood of achieving progress.
This guide was made possible with the generous support of The Schumann Fund for New Jersey.
If you have questions about this guide, please contact Mary Coogan at ACNJ via email to mcoogan@acnj.org or call (973) 643-3876.
Posted on August 16, 2019
This week, Insider NJ released their 100 Top Policymakers list for 2019. ACNJ’s very own Cecilia Zalkind was recognized as “one of the state’s foremost experts in child welfare, early care and education and health care.” Way to go, Ceil! The staff at ACNJ is proud to call you our leader.
Posted on August 14, 2019
The Newark lead crisis is back in the news, as recent EPA testings show that the city-distributed water filters may not be working as they should. In response, Mayor Ras Baraka and Governor Murphy are working to get the word out about the issue, as well as provide bottled water to affected residents and determine why the filters are not removing as much lead as previously thought.
Policy counsel Peter Chen gives his thoughts on the lead issue in a recent NJTV broadcast:
Back in 2018, ACNJ reported on the lead levels in children in its Newark Kids Count report, highlighting the successes the city achieved while also cautioning that there is still work to be done for every child to have zero lead in their systems. While the percentage of Newark children with high lead levels in their system has been on the decline since 2006, levels are still higher than the rest of the state, and small levels of lead remain a pervasive issue.
Click here to see if you are in an area affected by the lead levels.
If you are in an affected area, find where you can obtain bottled water here.
Posted on August 8, 2019
Summer intern Kate Evans surveyed 100 individuals involved in New Jersey’s juvenile justice system, including members of youth services commissions, staff members of juvenile justice-related agencies, parents and youth. Her findings show where New Jersey is succeeding in juvenile justice, the positive impact of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) and where we can improve and move forward for our youth.
