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New Jersey
Child Placement Advisory Council
CHILDREN IN COURT STATISTICS
COURT YEAR 2017
JUNE 30, 2016—JULY 1, 2017
New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council
Court Year 2017
NJ CPAC Executive Board
Voting Members Non-Voting Members
Lila Bernstein Morris County Connie D. Jenkins-Buwa Middlesex County Emerita
Sameerah Lewis-Diabb Middlesex County Darrell L. Armstrong Mercer County Honorary
Ronald Keith England Essex County
Judith Foley Salem County
Angela Harrison Atlantic County
Michael Krasner Union County
Russell Lake † Ocean County
Sandra Wilson Moss Passaic County
William T. Noll Monmouth County
Frank E. Petrucci Essex County
Mary “Twinkie” Polizzi Bergen County
Adele Polomski Ocean County
Susan Rodgers Mercer County
Eunice I. Salton Middlesex County
Lorene S. Wilkerson Middlesex County
This year’s report is dedicated to our friend and
colleague, Russell Lake, who served for many
years as treasurer of the NJ CPAC executive
board and as a member of the Ocean County
CPR board. We will be forever thankful for his
easy smile and giving personality. His unwaver-
ing commitment to children in the wake of losing
his home to Hurricane Sandy will serve as a
constant source of admiration and inspiration.
Chair Lorene S. Wilkerson Middlesex County
Vice Chair Eunice I. Salton Middlesex County
Secretary Susan Rodgers Mercer County
Treasurer Bill Noll, effective 2/2018 Monmouth County
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 1
Letter from the Chair
To the Esteemed Members of the New Jersey Supreme Court, Governor and Legislators:
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC) was in a period of reflection and transition during court year 2017 (July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017), following two years of back-to-back accomplishments:
Completed the revision of the Child Placement Review (CPR) Training Manual and the forms required of CPR boards to complete for review.
Collaborated with the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to conduct the “Train the Trainer” training of appropriate Children In Court (CIC) staff.
Launched a new website with a new logo.
Testified before the Assembly Women and Children’s Committee and the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee in support of amending the CPR Act of 1978 to change the timing of the first review of a child in placement from 45 days to 60 days.
On Jan. 19, 2017, Governor Chris Christie signed bills A3892 and S2463 into law, changing the timing of the initial review of a child placed out of home from 45 days to 60 days. CIC staff were notified of the change by the AOC and directed to adjust the scheduling of reviews to comport with the new law. By changing the time of the initial review of children placed out of home, CPR board volunteers were able to provide more comprehensive and well-informed recommendations to the court. The AOC also issued a directive to CIC staff to ensure that all CPR board volunteers receive training from the revised CPR training manual. Going forward, these changes will improve results for children in out-of-home placement.
NJ CPAC held its annual training event on April 28, 2017. Understanding & Addressing Child and Adolescent Trauma was an all-day event that featured six workshops covering such topics as the impact of sexual abuse; recognizing trauma in immigrant youth; and caring for children with incarcerated parents. There was also a workshop on the new CPR Initial Review for CPR board volunteers. NJ CPAC was honored to have as its keynote speaker Judge Glenn A. Grant, acting administrative director of the courts.
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 2
Amending the CPR Act spurred the board to strengthen and expand its partnerships to help expedite permanency. NJ CPAC envisions the following:
Submitting letters of support to the legislature for bills that have an impact on children.
Engaging with the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) to monitor their policies and practices pertaining to placement of children, per the mandate of the CPR Act.
Collaborating with the DCP&P to resolve CPR issues that come to the attention of NJ CPAC.
Supporting the Judiciary in its training efforts by offering an annual workshop in the CPR initial review for CPR board volunteers and court staff.
I continue to be impressed by the commitment of the NJ CPAC executive board, the NJ CPAC coordinator and the AOC to improving the lives of the children in New Jersey.
Lorene S. Wilkerson
Chair, New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 3
CPR Board Statistics for June 30, 2017
Race and ethnicity of CPR board volunteers
Source: VMIS, Aug. 16, 2017
157
62
11
2
8
1
133
46
7
4
19
3
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Caucasian
African-American
Hispanic or Latino
Multi-Racial
Not Stated
All Other
2017 2016
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 4
CPR board activity by county
County 2017 CPR Board Meetings 2017 CPR Board Reviews
Atlantic 23 168
Bergen 19 132
Burlington 23 195
Camden 64 375
Cape May 7 81
Cumberland 12 186
Essex 23 368
Gloucester 19 155
Hudson 6 132
Hunterdon 4 7
Mercer 15 150
Middlesex 15 136
Monmouth 34 170
Morris 7 32
Ocean 6 192
Passaic 11 82
Salem 11 66
Somerset 5 32
Sussex 12 38
Union 11 95
Warren 23 80
Total 350 2,872
Source: AOC casa8_rpt2.fex. Run 08.10.2017.
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 5
Fifteen counties met mandated requirements for CPR board membership.
County
Reviews By CPR Boards
2016
Minimum CPR
Boards Required
2017
Actual CPR
Boards 2017 a
Check if Met
Mandated Minimum
Number of CPR
Boards
Minimum CPR Board Volunteers Required
2017
Actual CPR Board
Volunteers 2017b
Check if Met
Mandated Minimum
Number of CPR
Volunteers
Atlantic 248 2 2 5 9
Bergen 126 1 2 5 13
Burlington 240 2 1 10 14
Camden 382 2 3 10 8
Cape May 38 1 1 5 5
Cumberland 172 1 2 5 9
Essex 447 3 3 15 13
Gloucester 224 2 2 10 5
Hudson 194 1 2 5 6
Hunterdon 30 1 1 5 4
Mercer 204 2 3 10 14
Middlesex 169 1 2 5 15
Monmouth 216 2 4 10 17
Morris 85 1 1 5 5
Ocean 230 2 1 10 7
Passaic 180 1 1 5 6
Salem 60 1 2 5 8
Somerset 23 1 1 5 6
Sussex 28 1 1 5 5
Union 123 1 2 5 7
Warren 26 1 1 5 3
Total 3,445 30 38 155 179
a Data for this column is collected from CPR coordinators at the close of court year 2017. b Data for this column was collected by VMIS Aug. 2017 and provided to NJ CPAC by the Judiciary Office of Management and Administrative Services.
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 6
Children in Court Cases
Court statistics for Children and Families 2017 Court Year (July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017)
Most children entered out-of-home placement for reasons related to parental abandonment and/or inadequate housing.1, 2
A child can enter placement for multiple reasons.
Parent-Related Reason for Placement 2017 Total
Abandonment 833
Abuse/Neglect 441
Death 71
Substance Use Disorder 165
Financial Problems 0
Inadequate Housing 543
Incarceration 415
Mentally Disabled 14
Physically Disabled 4
Surrender of Child 26
Child-Related Reason for Placement 2017 Total
Behavioral Issues 381
Delinquency/FJ Case 13
Disability 37
Drug/Alcohol Abuse 1
Other Reasons 37
Source: AOC casa6_rpt2.fex. Run 8/21/17.
1 Explanation is provided in the DCP&P Notice Of Placement (NOP). 2 The legal definition of abandonment (NJSA: 9:6-8.21(c)(5) includes failure “to care for and keep control and custody of a child so that the child shall be exposed to physical or moral risk without proper and sufficient protection” and failure to “care for and keep the control and custody of a child so that that the child shall be liable to be supported and maintained at the expense of the public.”
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 7
Most children entered out-of-home placement at about six-years of age.
A child can enter placement multiple times.
Source: AOC New Filings of FC Dockets. AOC casa9_rpt.fex. Run 8/02/17.
The number of children entering out-of-home placement is declining.
Source: AOC new filings of FC dockets. AOC casa9_rpt.fex. Run 8/02/17.
21%
14%16%
28%
19%
0%0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Bir
th t
o 1
Yea
r
1 to
2 Y
ears
3 to
5 Y
ears
6 to
12
Yea
rs
13 t
o 1
7 Y
ears
18 Y
ears
an
d O
lder
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
2014 2015 2016 2017
2014 2015 2016 2017
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 8
The number of children with active/pending cases declined significantly.
Source: AOC casa3_rpt2.fex. 08.10.2017
The number of children exiting placement decreased.
Source: AOC New filings of FC dockets. AOC casa9_rpt.fex. Run 8/10/17.
8,351
8,097
7,826
7,097
0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000
2014
2015
2016
2017
5,435
5,255
5,060
4,828
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000
2014
2015
2016
2017
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 9
All counties saw substantial increases in incoming cases in June 2017. Camden and Essex counties experienced the highest numbers of new and active cases on June 30, 2017.
Point in time snapshot of the status of all cases (FC) by county on June 30, 2017
Source: AOC filing of cases in CIC FC dockets, closing of cases, pending cases. AOC casa9_rpt.fex. Run 8/11/17.
0100200300400500600700800900100011001200130014001500160017001800
War
ren
Un
ion
Suss
ex
Som
ers
et
Sale
m
Pas
saic
Oce
an
Mo
rris
Mo
nm
ou
th
Mid
dle
sex
Me
rce
r
Hu
nte
rdo
n
Hu
dso
n
Glo
uce
ste
r
Esse
x
Cu
mb
erl
and
Cap
e M
ay
Cam
de
n
Bu
rlin
gto
n
Be
rge
n
New Cases Active Cases Closed Cases
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 10
Based on 7,091 children ages birth through 21 with active and pending out-of-placement cases, females represented the majority at one-year of age.
Males slightly outnumbered females at age 13.
The majority of adolescents were 18-year-old women.
Source: AOC casa1_rpt2.fex, 8/22/2016/11.39.43
325 110 149 162
309 114 130 151
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Age 1 Age 13 Age 17 Age 18
Female Male
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 11
Most children spent approximately two years in out-of-home placement awaiting permanency. The number spending more than five years in placement rose slightly from 2016 despite the increase in the number of children exiting the system.
Source: AOC casa7_rp72.fex 2015, 2016, 2017
14
49
21
17
1,2
35
65
6
28
9
51
0
13
38
20
44
11
88
34
1
34
1 46
1
12
54
18
18
11
16
31
5
31
5
48
1
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
1 Year 2 Years 3 Years 4 Years 5 years More than5 Years
2015 2016 2017
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 12
During 2017, the majority of children underwent their first placement. Twenty percent experienced their second.
Court Year
In 1st Placement
In 2nd Placement
In 3rd Placement
In 4th Placement
In 5th Placement
In 6th Placement
In 7th Placement
In 8th Placement
2014 6,165 1,691 360 97 24 9 4 0
2015 6,015 1,597 359 85 28 7 4 0
2016 5,839 1,491 385 80 28 3 2 0
2017 5,160 1,429 382 89 25 0 4 0
Source: AOC casa5_rpt2. Run 09/06/2017.
Camden County saw the most children undergoing third, fourth or fifth placements. Cumberland County experienced the second highest level of fourth-time placements. County In Third
Placement In Fourth Placement
In Fifth Placement
In Seventh Placement
Total
Atlantic 16 5 2 0 23
Bergen 4 2 3 0 9
Burlington 26 2 0 0 28
Camden 66 24 7 0 97
Cape May 9 3 2 0 14
Cumberland 28 15 0 1 44
Essex 38 4 1 0 43
Gloucester 18 9 2 2 31
Hudson 27 1 0 0 28
Hunterdon 2 5 0 0 7
Mercer 20 8 2 0 30
Middlesex 23 4 0 1 28
Monmouth 30 4 3 0 37
Morris 4 1 2 0 7
0cean 16 0 0 0 16
Passaic 23 3 0 0 26
Salem 12 2 0 0 14
Somerset 4 1 0 0 4
Sussex 2 0 0 0 2
Union 6 1 1 0 8
Warren 6 0 0 0 6
Source: AOC casa7_rpt 72.fex 09/06/2017.
The New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC)
2017 Children In Court Statistics for Court Year 2016 – 2017 13
Most children in out-of-home placements either were returned home or adopted.
Reasons why CIC cases were closed
Reason Case Closed CY 2017 Cases Closed %
Of Total Cases
Child Reached 18 282 5
Child Died 5 0
Adoption Finalized 1,134 23
Placement with Relative Finalized 327 7
Placement with Friend Finalized 15 0
Child Entered Military 2 0
Child got Married 0 0
Child Under Division of Developmental Disabilities
4 0
Child in Mental Health Facility 1 0
Child Returned Home 2,690 55
Kinship Legal Guardianship Granted 194 4
Child Missing 15 0
Child Transferred to Care Maintenance Organization
18 0
Other 107 2
Child Transferred to Another County 94 2
Child Transferred to Another State 2 0
Total Cases Closed 4,890
Source: AOC MSFCFT. 09/08/2017
New Jersey
Child Placement Advisory Council
Administrative Office of the Courts
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. Box 983
Trenton, NJ 08625-0983
609-633-2581
www.njcpac.org