RELEASE: October 5, 2000

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The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) recently honored Human Services Commissioner Michele K. Guhl with its Advocacy Award for her work in launching the Children’s System of Care Initiative (CSC), New Jersey’s major reform of the system that serves children with behavioral and emotional problems and their families.

Through the award, the CWLA acknowledged that Commissioner Guhl has pioneered an innovative statewide initiative that creates an umbrella under which services to children and families are delivered. By enlisting a statewide systems administrator, the initiative is the first in the country that coordinates care across all child-serving systems including child welfare, mental health, Medicaid and the juvenile justice system. Until now,

families have had to work with each agency individually, and there was no coordinated plan for serving these families.

"It just makes sense to get all the players on the same team," said Commissioner Guhl. "Expanding the availability of services for troubled children is a cornerstone of this initiative. But it also is essential that we simultaneously create a system that coordinates and tracks their care."

Guhl was also credited with providing, through the Initiative, the catalyst for creating the first statewide family support organization for families of children with emotional and behavioral disturbances.

"For the first time, families will play a key role in designing the system that serves them," said Loretta Geis, director of the New Jersey Parents’ Caucus which nominated Commissioner Guhl for the award. "Family support organizations will soon work with county providers and caregivers to ensure that services to families are appropriate and timely."

Two other key components of the CSC are community-based teams that coordinate resources for children with the most intense needs, and a unified statewide screening process will ensure consistency in evaluating and serving children.

Governor Christie Whitman, who has enthusiastically supported this reform, included $39 million in her fiscal year 2001 budget for the Initiative. Ultimately, funding for these services will increase by $113 million over four years, from $167 million in state fiscal year 2000 to $280 million in FY 2004.

Commissioner Guhl's objectives for the Initiative are the following:

• children will have improved emotional stability;

• children will live and receive services in their communities;

• families/caretakers will receive the supports they need to provide more stable living environments for children;

• children will improve academic performance and social functioning;

• fewer crimes will be committed by youth receiving services.

Implementation of the CSC is expected to begin in early 2001. The services will be phased in gradually, first in Burlington, Monmouth and Union counties.

The CWLA’s Advocacy Award recognizes initiatives that have significantly improved services and funding to children and families. The CWLA announced the award for Commissioner Guhl at its biennial conference in New Orleans in September.