RELEASE: March 8, 2004

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Human Services announces initiative to expedite behavioral health services for children in detention

TRENTON – The Department of Human Services (DHS) announced today it will assign two youth case managers to the Camden County Youth Center (CCYC) and free up an additional $600,000 to add five treatment homes in South Jersey over the next few weeks so children can move more quickly out of the overcrowded detention facility and into more appropriate settings where they can get the behavioral health services they need.

Under the direction of Acting Commissioner Jim Davy, senior DHS staff worked throughout the weekend developing a strategy to address the continuing overcrowding problems and difficult situation facing CCYC and the children it serves.

“This is an important first step in reducing the number of children in inappropriate institutional settings,” said Division of Child Behavioral Health Services (DCBHS) Director Kathi Way. “Many of these children languish in facilities like CCYC because it takes too long to conduct an assessment and connect children to the services they need.”

Per the urging of the Camden County Board of Freeholders and CCYC Administrator and State Assemblywoman Mary T. Previte, DHS acknowledged it needed to take immediate action to relieve the situation. Earlier today, Way and Ed Cotton, director of the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS), met with Previte to tour the facility and explain the new initiative.

The youth case manager will be located on-site at CCYC to conduct interviews and assessments with the children so they may be connected to necessary services. In the past, the children would have to wait several weeks for this to occur at an off-site mental health facility. By placing staff directly at the detention facility, DHS hopes to expedite the process of creating a personalized treatment plan including placing the child in a more appropriate out-of-home setting such as a community-based treatment home or residential treatment center.

In addition, DHS announced it will also free up $600,000 to add five treatment homes over the next few weeks for children throughout South Jersey. Originally, DHS planned to add 75 treatment homes and 45 emergency treatment homes statewide by June 2005. Due to problems facing CCYC and detention centers throughout the state, the Department recognized it could not wait. Further details about the additional treatment homes will be announced shortly when service contracts are finalized.

“One of the goals of the child welfare reform plan is to stop placing children with behavioral health issues in settings such as detention centers,” explained Way. “They belong in a therapeutic environment where they can get the services and support they deserve.”

As part of the child welfare reform plan, DHS plans to take several actions to reduce the number of children residing inappropriately in institutional settings including:

According to Way, DCBHS also recently expanded mobile response services to Camden County on February 9th. Through this invaluable service, trained staff respond immediately to families and congregate care facilities like detention centers to assist children with an escalating behavioral issue immediately. This allows the child to be stabilized and remain in their current living arrangement.
Since its implementation last month, mobile response has assisted four youth currently residing at CCYC.

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