New Jersey Must Maintain Focus on Child Welfare Reform to Continue Important Progress for Abused and Neglected Kids

NEWARK, NJ — The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) continues to produce vital improvements in the care and protection it provides abused and neglected children, according to a new progress report released today on a long-running effort to reform the state’s once-failing child welfare system under a federal court order secured by Children’s Rights.

Today, Children’s Rights advocates called on incoming Governor-Elect Chris Christie to uphold the state’s commitment to completing the required reforms.

The new (PDF), issued by an independent monitor appointed by the federal court, is the first since the state successfully completed the first phase of the reform effort at the end of 2008. It highlights several critical areas in which DCF has maintained good results, including dramatic improvements in children’s safety both in foster care and at home, steady increases in adoptions and the number of kids placed in foster families rather than group homes and institutions, reductions in caseloads for child welfare workers, and improvements in training for caseworkers and supervisors.

But the report also raises some potential concerns about DCF’s implementation of reforms required in the second phase of the massive effort — and makes it clear that, in some areas, more focused attention is needed right away to come into compliance with upcoming mandates of the federal court order and improve the results DCF produces for the children and families who depend on it.

“New Jersey has dramatically improved a child welfare system that many once considered irreparable, and we call on the incoming administration to maintain the support, resources, and collaborative spirit that have enabled this historic reform effort’s success,” said Marcia Robinson Lowry, executive director of Children’s Rights. “Although many challenges remain, we look forward to working with Governor-Elect Christie to ensure DCF’s continued progress toward meeting the requirements of the federal court order and the needs of New Jersey’s abused and neglected kids.”

Children’s Rights filed a class action against New Jersey in 1999 on behalf of more than 11,000 children dependent upon the state child welfare system, seeking widespread improvements. In 2006, after a previous settlement agreement failed to yield positive results, Children’s Rights and co-counsel Drinker Biddle & Reath reached a new agreement with state officials, mandating sweeping reforms and resulting in DCF’s creation. The case is known as Charlie and Nadine H. v. Corzine.

Today’s report, which evaluates DCF’s performance from January 1 through June 30, 2009, commends DCF for maintaining critical improvements in several key areas:

But the report also calls attention to several areas to which DCF must devote attention immediately to keep up with the requirements of the federal court order:

“Today’s report highlights many significant improvements that illustrate how far the New Jersey child welfare system has come, but also several shortcomings that remind us how far it still needs to go,” said Lowry. “Children’s Rights will continue to work with New Jersey’s leaders to overcome the obstacles that lie ahead, and we will continue to holdDCF to the commitment it has made to provide abused and neglected children with the care and protection that is their right.”

The complete monitoring report and more information on Children’s Rights’ campaign to reform New Jersey’s child welfare system can be found at www.childrensrights.org/newjersey.

Related Press

Federal monitors give largely positive marks for N.J. child welfare (Star Ledger, Jan. 7, 2010)