RELEASE: November 25, 2003

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According to Flood, the SA Workgroup supports a regionalized continuum of care that is replicable throughout the state and utilizes nationally recognized best practices. Like any successful program, treatment would be tailored to the individual needs of the client and their family. The federal child safety outcomes would also be incorporated into treatment planning, reassessment, discharge and follow-up protocols to help measure a program’s success.

In addition to an increased service capacity for substance abuse treatment, recommendations of the Substance Abuse Workgroup include:
• A certified training program for DYFS workers and supervisors as well as orientation and training for other professionals involved in the child welfare system such as judges, deputies attorney general and law guardians
• Promote early intervention and prevention for high risk families by developing new case practice standards for DYFS staff relative to substance abuse screening, assessment and intervention
• Support parents and ensure a child’s safety by expanding the four Regional Diagnostic and Treatment Centers’ (serving child abuse victims) assessment and support services to include home visitor services
• Improve communication and collaboration in the child welfare system on a state and local, community level by establishing a Statewide Advisory Committee on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare as well as Countywide Interagency Coalitions on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
• Once treatment capacity improvement benchmarks have been reached, mandatory substance abuse screening and testing for any family referred to DYFS should be considered.

“Mandatory testing is controversial and something that definitely needs to be discussed further- there are pros and cons to both sides of this issue,” said Commissioner Harris. “How far can we go and how far should we go?”

New Jersey children and families also continue to battle domestic violence. Over the past 10 years, over one million domestic violence offenses have been reported in the State including 79,000 just last year. Children were involved or present during 37 percent of all domestic violence offenses in 2002. Sixty-six percent of the children who received services from a domestic violence program were also under the age of ten.

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