RELEASE: October 6, 2005

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The backlog of juveniles in detention awaiting placement in behavioral health treatment programs has been eliminated, DHS Commissioner James M. Davy announced today.

“Six months ago, 62 children were in detention awaiting placement, including some who had been waiting weeks or months – today, no children wait more than a few days past their court disposition,” Davy said. “We are finally at the point where kids get the right kind of help and get it right away.”

OCS Deputy Commissioner Kathi Way said she expects that the state will continue making timely, appropriate placements.

“We will continue to make strong progress in this area working closely with our partners, the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Office of the Child Advocate,” said Ms. Way , who credits the turnaround to a dramatic expansion of residential treatment and treatment homes in the last year.

On Sept. 15, 20 children were being held in detention awaiting placement. All of those youth have since been placed.

As of Friday, three children were in detention after their court disposition – they included a juvenile whose legal representative objected to OCS' proposed placement, another who is awaiting interstate approval of an out-of-state placement, and one who was pending placement in a New Jersey facility.

The OCS has greatly expanded services during the past year, contracting for 279 new community-based treatment beds statewide.

Contracts for an additional 232 beds are being negotiated, and a request for proposals will be issued soon to add another 105 beds, Way said.

With the addition of these new beds, the Office of Children's Services will continue to expand the capacity of a complete multilevel system of care, ranging from treatment homes to residential care and in-patient psychiatric hospitals.

By January 2006, this system will be implemented statewide, making New Jersey the first state in the nation to offer a statewide system of care.

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