Department of Human Services

Human Services officials discuss plans to add 1,000 foster homes

New foster parents meet with Commissioner Davy

EAST ORANGE – As part of the state's ongoing efforts to improve its child welfare system, Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Jim Davy met today with new foster parents and staff from Tri-City Peoples Corporation to discuss changes in New Jersey 's foster care system including plans to add 1,000 foster homes this year.

“Our foster parents are the backbone of our child welfare system,” said Commissioner Davy. “Without their support and dedication, our reform efforts would not be possible.”

Earlier this year, the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) announced $1.6 in additional funding to partner with community agencies to develop 145 new resource families in targeted neighborhoods throughout the state. In addition, the new resource homes serve specific high need populations including adolescents, boarder babies and Hispanic children.

As a result of this new initiative, Tri-City Peoples Corporation received two contracts totaling $225,000 to develop 15 resource families for boarder babies ( infants medically cleared to leave a hospital but remain there due to a lack of foster care placements) and 15 resource families for adolescents in Essex County. The targeted recruitment efforts in local communities are part of an overall effort to add 1,000 new resource families during the next year.

“More and more children are needing our help,” said Commissioner Davy. “By partnering with community agencies like Tri-City Peoples Corporation, we can ensure their safety and well-being by placing them in loving foster homes.”

Currently, there are 13,000 children in out-of-home placement including 5,500 children in a traditional foster home and 3,800 with relatives. There are 4,100 licensed foster homes statewide. Approximately 17 percent of the children in regular foster homes are adolescents.

Through the first six months of this year, there have been 343 boarder babies. Due to the concerted efforts of DYFS staff, 97 babies were placed with relatives and 93 babies went home with support services. However, 139 babies still needed a foster home placement.

Joining Commissioner Davy today were Acting Special Deputy Commissioner for Children's Services Kathi Way and DYFS Assistant Commissioner Ed Cotton. The three officials met with staff from Tri-City Peoples Corporation as well as two new foster parents recently recruited by the agency.

The group discussed several changes to improve New Jersey 's foster care system including:

• The hiring of 97 resource family workers this fiscal year to help guide foster parents through the system

• Plans to increase monthly board payments in January 2005

• The equalizing of kinship payments to encourage more relatives to step forward to care for foster children

• Streamlining the process to become a resource parent by setting a standard that the entire process -- which currently takes up to a year – will be completed in 90 days

• Providing $2 million a year in flexible funding to provide support services to resources families

• Allocating $1 million for home repairs so foster families can continue to meet licensing requirements.

“Although children make up only 25 percent of our population, they make up 100 percent of our future,” said Joan Reeves, director of family support services for Tri-City Peoples Corporation. “Tri-City wants to help children find safe homes and a nurturing environment. Hopefully, these children can learn to give back to their community as adults.”

The mission of Tri-City Peoples Corporation is to facilitate social and economic self-sufficiency and to promote citizen civic participation in community development by providing exemplary services in education, employment and technological training, social services, health and mental health care, and housing that meets the needs of the residents and families in Newark , East Orange , and Irvington , New Jersey communities.

To learn more about foster parenting in New Jersey , call toll free 1-877-NJ-FOSTER or visit www.njfostercare.org .