Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Statewide Innovation; Local Reach
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” —Benjamin Franklin
Central to the approach around NJ Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) is the idea that proven, evidence-based strategies and interventions can disrupt negative trajectories and mental health escalation, and prevent deep-end mental health crisis.
NJ4S is, at its core, a proactive, customizable service array, that adapts to the challenges that schools are facing in, and outside, of the classroom. Program specialists work collaboratively with school staff to tailor delivered services that compliment resources already in place in the school, and adjust to nuances of the school culture. In this way, NJ4S can avoid duplicating existing services, while adding a layer of support for students, parents, and school staff.
NJ4S offers tiered support to schools and communities:
Tier 1
Tier 1 services are universal, public offerings that are extended to schools and communities by regional, contracted providers. They could be parent workshops at the local library, staff training around a general mental health topic, or wellness seminars for the community. These Tier 1 offerings (link to Public Offerings Page) generally do not require registration, and are planned and provided by regional, community-based providers—anyone is free to attend.
Tier 2
Tier 2 services are evidence-based prevention services, usually delivered to small or large groups and based on approved curriculum and programs that have been peer-reviewed and proven effective. Tier 2 services are requested by school staff (administrators, teachers, school counselors, etc....) who are authorized to access the NJ4S portal (more on that below) and are available in public middle and high schools throughout the state of New Jersey. Services are free of charge for the school requesting and receiving services.
Tier 3
Tier 3 services are brief clinical therapeutic services, combined with a connection or referral to the larger New Jersey behavioral health service continuum. These services are usually delivered in small groups or individually, and intended to provide temporary support to allow the young person to stabilize, get back on track academically, and connect to services and resources through one of our mental health partners. Tier 3 services are requested by school staff, and delivered by a licensed mental health counselor. They are requested by the school, and free of charge.
NJ4S is administered through a partnership between the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and the New Jersey Department of Education, and delivered through contracted, regional providers operated by community-based mental health and prevention services providers. To learn more about the agencies behind NJ4S, visit “Who We Are”.
Tier 2 and Tier 3 services are requested by designated school staff, are delivered in-school and in the community, and are geared toward students in grades 6-12 in public middle schools, high schools, K-8 schools, and public charter schools. To be eligible to request services, the school cannot already receive support through the School Based Youth Services program from the Department of Children and Families.
NJ4S Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports are currently not available for students in grades K-5, or students enrolled in private school, though Tier 1 public offerings (link to Public Offerings page) may support their needs. Additional mental health resources for schools and students are available through the Department of Education’s Mental Health website.
In order to request Tier 2 and Tier 3 services, school employees must be registered through the NJ4S portal. To register a school representative that can request these services, schools and superintendents should submit contact information via this online form. The form will ask for a first name, last name, title, and email address. Once the registration form is completed, the designated school representative will receive an email in 7-10 business days with instructions on how to log into the NJ4S portal.
If you have any questions, or are unsure whether your school or school district already has a designated representative, please contact the program at nj4sfeedback@dcf.nj.gov.
School principals, supervisors, and administrators can contact the program support team at nj4sfeedback@dcf.nj.gov to request access to a sortable, searchable database of school representatives.
Each eligible school has a limited number of users who can access the NJ4S portal to request Tier 2 and Tier 3 services. As such, schools should be strategic about who is listed as their school representative in the NJ4S Portal.
The ideal school representative is someone who understands the emotional and behavioral health needs of the entire school, as well as the programs and services already in place. A school representative can be an administrator or their designee, a school psychologist or social worker, a school counselor, or other school staff.
Beyond school representatives, superintendents or district staff may register to use the NJ4S Portal to see metrics and information on delivered services to the schools in the district.
Training videos on navigating and using the NJ4S Portal are available on YouTube:
School Representatives:
School District Superintendents: