ACNJ

Child Welfare Update #2

January 2005

As part of ongoing efforts to monitor and inform the state’s efforts to improve <<New Jersey>>’s child welfare system, the Association for Children of <<New Jersey>> plans to issue periodic updates publicizing relevant statistics that can help measure how the reforms are progressing. They include state Division of Youth and Family Services caseloads and staffing levels, the number of licensed foster homes and referral data from the new central child abuse hotline. ACNJ will also highlight one specific issue, in an attempt to delve deeper into what the statistics means for <<New Jersey>>’s most vulnerable children. This is the second in these periodic updates.

<<New Jersey>>’s plan to reform the child welfare system grew out of the settlement of a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of foster children. It is being monitored by a federal court.

NOTE: This brief was updated on March 23, 2005 to reflect new data.

Child Abuse Investigations Drop Six Months After New Hotline Opens

State Takes Steps to Address Screening Problems

State workers investigated 17 percent fewer reports of child abuse and neglect in December 2004 compared to July 2004, when the Department of Human Services first opened a new central child abuse hotline.

The number of reports accepted for child abuse/neglect investigations showed steady declines during the first six months of the hotline’s operation. At the same time, the number of total calls coming into the hotline declined just 4 percent.

“This raises serious concerns over whether the state is screening out cases that should be investigated or assessed for child welfare concerns,” said Cecilia Zalkind, executive director of the Association for Children of New Jersey. “We cannot return to the days when only bruises and broken bones got the state’s attention. This type of policy, whether expressed or implied, puts children in serious danger.”

Also of concern is the low number of cases being referred to the new Division of Child Behavioral Health.  Just 595 calls, representing less than 1 percent of the 113,537 reports made to the hotline in its first six months, were referred for mental health services. It is unclear at this point how many of those 595 reports actually resulted in the provision of services.

“We know mental health issues are often a problem in suspected child abuse/neglect cases,” Zalkind said. “It seems incredible that so few referrals required this type of service. This certainly warrants a much closer look.”

After ACNJ released a report in December raising concerns over the new screening and case assessment process, the state has decided to examine hotline screening protocols. State officials announced a series of changes aimed at improving the hotline’s performance, including:

• Hiring a private firm to review 200 screened-out cases to determine whether the reports were properly handled.

• Adding 20 call screeners and supervisors to the 40 employees already staffing the hotline.

• Hiring a new manager for the screening center.

• Retraining staff to convey "a sense of urgency" about responding to reports of suspected abuse and neglect.

• Recording incoming calls to improve training and evaluate employee performance.

The state should also look at how many of the screened-out cases were re-referred during the hotline’s first six months and how many cases that were deemed “low or moderate risk” were re-referred during the first six months. This information should be made public to increase accountability and inform the process for improving the system.

“We also still have no information on how many cases are actually receiving hard services, once they have been investigated or assessed,” Zalkind said. “This also needs to be examined – quickly.”

The decline in investigations mirrors a decline in the total number of cases that the state Division of Youth and Family Services is now handling. Caseloads dropped 10.5 percent from July to December 2004. At the beginning of December, 61,262 children were under DYFS supervision, compared to 68,454 in July 2004, according to DYFS statistics.

Lowering caseloads is a major requirement of a court-mandated settlement between New Jersey and Children’s Rights. To satisfy the court and avoid sanctions or other interventions, each New Jersey caseworker must carry no more than 17 cases by March 31, 2006.

Following are state statistics for the central hotline since its inception:

*In the first two months of the hotline’s operation, the “all others” category included “info only” calls, so the percent change for these two categories is calculated from September through December.

Source: DYFS Data Analysis and Reporting Unit

For more information about this brief, contact Nancy Parello at 973-643-3876 or nparello@acnj.org.