Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Highlights the Vital Role Caregivers Play in Providing Stability and Connection for Youth in Foster Care
TRENTON, NJ — August 28, 2026 — The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (NJDCF), Office of Resource Families, within the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (CP&P), today announced the launch of a new statewide effort to recruit resource parents. The initiative is designed to address the ongoing need for stable, nurturing placements for children and youth in foster care while underscoring the vital role that resource parents play in providing a sense of stability, promoting resilience, preserving connections, and in supporting whole families.
The Importance of Stability
Research shows that stability in placement is a key predictor of positive outcomes for youth in foster care, and after they exit from foster care. Consistent caregiving relationships help children build resilience, maintain community ties, and achieve permanency quicker.
"During what is incredible adversity in a child’s life, resource parents provide much more than shelter," said NJDCF Deputy Commissioner Clinton Page. "They offer a trusted and nonjudgmental environment where children can regain a sense of safety and normalcy, form meaningful supportive relationships, and develop the social and emotional skills necessary to mitigate and heal from complex trauma."
Ongoing Need in New Jersey
NJDCF’s primary goal is always to keep families safely together when appropriate and possible, with approximately 90 percent of families receiving services while remaining intact in their own homes. In fact, New Jersey has maintained the lowest out-of-home placement rate in the country since 2019. However, when safety concerns require temporary out-of-home placement, resource parents (also referred to as foster parents) step forward to provide stable, compassionate, and temporary care.
The need for licensed resource homes has become a top priority—particularly to ensure that children can remain in their local communities and maintain important connections. When a child is removed from their family for safety reasons, the Department first seeks to place the child with extended family members or close family friends—a process known as kinship care—but if those connections cannot be made, children are placed with unrelated resource parents. Both kinship caregivers and resource parents receive training and support from the state.
Currently, there are close to 3,000 children in foster care in New Jersey, and many may need the benefit of a nurturing and safe out-of-home placement with an unrelated resource family.
The state currently has roughly 2,000 licensed foster homes, but as homes turn over, there is an ongoing need for families willing to provide care for children of all ages, with the greatest need being sibling groups, older youth, and children with developmental and mental and behavioral health needs.
"We are deeply grateful for the generosity of New Jersey residents who have opened their homes and hearts to children in need," said NJDCF Acting Commissioner Joseph E. Ribsam Jr. "Historically, we have maintained a strong network of resource families, but there is still a need for more amazing and loving individuals to step forward, join the village of support for our state’s young people, and become licensed resource parents. It’s why we are actively recruiting individuals and families across the state."
Answering the Call
Resource parents serve as a critical bridge during times when children cannot safely remain home. Both kinship and non-related caregivers receive comprehensive pre-service training and ongoing support.
"Every resource parent plays an essential role in the lives of the children and families we serve by temporarily providing empathy, patience, and stability during a critical time," added Corinne LeBaron, CEO of embrella, a nonprofit organization to support foster parents in New Jersey. "Whether single or married, related or not, what matters most is having a willingness to be part of a larger village in support of young people, and helping change the trajectory of the child and their family for the better.”
To learn more about becoming a resource or foster parent in New Jersey, visit: