Reforming DYFS

Robert L. Johnson, MD, professor and interim chair of pediatrics at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, has been appointed to the New Jersey Child Welfare Panel, which was recently established to oversee the reform of New Jersey’s ailing child welfare system.

The Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) is currently being overhauled following allegations that it has failed to protect New Jersey's children who are at risk for abuse and neglect. In January, the body of 7-year-old Faheem Williams was found in a relative's home in Newark. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that DYFS caseworkers had closed the family’s file without investigating a complaint of abuse.

DYFS’s problems are not new. Four years ago, a child advocacy agency filed suit against the state for failing to protect its children in foster care. As part of the settlement of this suit in the federal courts, the panel was established. Panel members had to be agreed to by all participants in the suit. The panel includes five national child welfare experts, including Johnson. It operates independently and its decisions do not require gubernatorial or legislative approval.

Currently, 11,600 New Jersey children live in foster homes, group homes, and other facilities operated by the state. DYFS has been ordered to ensure the safety of each child within 120 days. Funding of $24 million has been allocated to improve existing services.

The long-term goal of the panel is to guide the state in revamping the child welfare system. Over the next six months, members will work with the Department of Human Services to develop a plan to guide the reform efforts. In the short-term, they will oversee DYFS as it conducts safety assessments of all children in foster care. Any child who is deemed to be in an unsafe environment must be moved. The panel is funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Johnson, who is also director of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at NJMS, has focused his research on adolescent physical and mental health, adolescent HIV, youth violence, and risk prevention/reduction programs with specific emphasis on substance and alcohol abuse.