Report: NJ doing better at protecting kids since cases of extreme abuse threw state into court

Report: NJ doing better at protecting children

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey’s once-failing child welfare system has made strides in keeping children safe from further abuse and neglect, a federal court-appointed agency said Thursday.

The Center for the Study of Social Policy said the state has lowered the rate of maltreatment among foster children, exceeded goals set for placing siblings together in foster homes, and reduced the number of children sent to out-of-state mental health facilities.

However, the center also cautioned that more work remains.

New Jersey’s Children and Families Department was ordered to overhaul its operations after a series of extreme abuse cases. A boy in 2003 was found dead in a Newark basement and four foster boys were discovered severely malnourished in a Collingswood home. Since 2006, the department has been under federal court supervision.

Department Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts said Thursday the report shows that the overhaul is working.

“With a sustained commitment, this progress will continue,” she said.

Marcia Robinson Lowry, executive director of Children’s Rights, which sued to force the changes, called on Gov.-elect Chris Christie to continue funding for the department’s efforts.

“New Jersey has dramatically improved a child welfare system that many considered irreparable,” she said. “And we call on the incoming administration to maintain the support, resources and collaborative spirit that have enabled this historic reform effort’s success.”

The report covered January 2009 through June, and was the first report in which the state had to show that the department was improving child welfare because of the changes. Five previous reports monitored department hiring, employee training, and internal controls. In the report, the findings included:

—The rate of maltreatment of foster children fell to 0.15 percent, well within the targeted goal.

—Three-fourths of sibling groups of two or three children were placed together in foster care, exceeding an interim benchmark of 65 percent.

—64 percent of children under state care were up-to-date on dental exams.

—21 percent of health care case management positions remained vacant.

—For fewer than half the children, the department had not developed a management plan within a month of removing these children from their homes.