RELEASE: September 27, 2005

Previous Screen

DOE & DHS announce task force to launch strengthening family initiative

TRENTON — Preschools in eight school districts will begin implementing Strengthening Families – a nationally recognized model for preventing child abuse and neglect – in January, Acting Education Commissioner Lucille Davy and Human Services Commissioner James M. Davy announced today.

The program, which will build on the work of family workers in Abbott district preschools, is proposed to begin as a pilot in eight Abbott districts and then expand to other preschool programs across the state. The cost to train the family workers on the program will be approximately $28,000.

The purpose of the Strengthening Families program is to help family workers identify problems that could result in child abuse and neglect.

“We already have family workers in the Abbott districts to engage and support families,” DHS Commissioner Davy said. “With Strengthening Families, we will make small but significant changes to ensure that the family workers have the resources and training they need to identify and report abuse or neglect and, more importantly, to link families to community-based services to prevent abuse or neglect in the first place.”

“Preventing child abuse is everyone's responsibility,” said DOE Acting Commissioner Davy. “By working together, we can build stronger families and brighter futures for our children. This initiative is a natural collaboration for two departments whose missions include the healthy development of young children.”

The initiative was developed jointly by the departments of Education and Human Services, based on a model created by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for the Study of Social Policy.

The two departments will convene a work group to seek funding opportunities and plan the implementation of the program. Staff from various DHS units, including the Division of Family Development, the Office of Children's Services and the new Division of Prevention and Community Partnerships, will participate. The group will also include representatives from the child care community, Prevent Child Abuse- New Jersey , the Office of the Child Advocate, the New Jersey Head Start Association and the Association for Children of New Jersey.

Family workers were established in Abbott preschools several years ago to engage parents in their children's early education and, where necessary, to provide services such as parenting skills programs.

Under Strengthening Families, the job of the family worker – which now may vary from one district to another – will be standardized, and the workers will be trained to assess families' needs and connect them to appropriate support services in their communities. Such early intervention is a proven method of reducing parental stress and preventing child maltreatment.

In choosing the eight pilot districts, the work group will look for communities that already have a network of services in place, particularly community collaboratives and DHS initiatives that provide home visitation and other support services for at-risk families.

In some areas, the appropriate community-based services still need to be developed. The Division of Prevention and Community Partnerships is working to promote the development of such services and to establish community collaboratives throughout New Jersey .

# # #