Our System of Care
New Jersey Department of Children and Families' Children's System of Care (DCF, CSOC)
The Department of Children and Families' Children's System of Care is a statewide program, serving children in all 21 counties in New Jersey. The System of Care is made up of local systems, which blend professional or formal services with informal supports and resources, including civic or faith-based organizations as well as community recreation programs. Each system is comprised of the same elements: a statewide Contracted System Administrator; a Care Management Organization; a Mobile Response and Stabilization Service; a Family Support Organization; and a local network of providers for mental health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disability support services.
If you are interested in more information regarding systems of care, please refer to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMSHA's) report.
For detailed information regarding the NJ Children's System of Care, consider watching this Town Hall video, hosted by PerformCare and the NJ Children's System of Care.
Our Partners
PerformCare / Contracted System Administrator (CSA)
PerformCare - also known as the Contracted System Administrator is a statewide agency that evaluates treatment options for New Jersey children using uniform assessment tools and refers them to a service provider in their county. It ensures that children and their families receive optimal treatment for an appropriate length of time while remaining as close to home as possible. Through the Mobile Response Stabilization Services, the CSA also provides 24-hour assistance to help families address crises.
Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS)
The Children's Mobile Response and Stabilization Services is a single, statewide system of care designed to stabilize the situation when a youth finds themselves in crisis. MRSS provides face-to-face services at the site of the escalating behavior, whether this is the child's home, school, group home or other living arrangement.
CPC Behavioral Healthcare is the designated Mobile Response and Stabilization Services provider for Monmouth County.
Care Management Organization (CMO)
If a child needs intensive care, the CSA will refer them to their local Care Management Organization. Within the CMO, each child is assigned to a Care Manager, who works with the family to put together a Child and Family Team. The Child and Family Team includes various people who are integral to the child's life and who help the family to develop the best plan for the child's care.
MonmouthCares, Inc, is the designated CMO for Monmouth County.
Family Support Organizations (FSO)
FSO's are family-run, county-based organizations that allow families of children with emotional and behavioral challenges to receive peer support from other families with similar circumstances. The Parent Partners of the FSO serve as a source of information, make referrals, and assist the caregiver in navigating through "the system". At your request, your Parent Partner can be a member of your Child Family Team.
Family Based Services Association of NJ, Inc is the designated FSO for Monmouth County.
County Inter-Agency Coordinating Council (CIACC)
Children's Inter-Agency Coordinating Councils are entities that foster cross-system service planning for children with behavioral health problems. CIACCs serve as the mechanism to develop and maintain a responsive, accessible and integrated system of care for children with special social and emotional needs and their families, through the involvement of parents, consumers, youth and child-serving agencies as partners.
See: Children's Inter-Agency Coordinating Council (CIACC) Summary of Activity MONMOUTH County
Educational Partnerships
County Inter-Agency Coordinating Councils' Educational Partnerships are alliances between local school districts and local agencies that serve children and families. These partnerships provide cross-systems training and help direct resources and services from the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and other sources to families in need.