New Jersey Children's System of Care Resources for Educational Professionals

The New Jersey Children's System of Care (CSOC) is a division of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. CSOC provides supports to youth with behavioral health or developmental disability diagnoses whether or not they are involved with child protective services. It also provides coordinated access to substance use treatment services for eligible youth.

PerformCare contracts with the State of New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families to facilitate residents' access to publicly funded services for youth up to age 21 through the statewide New Jersey Children's System of Care (CSOC). PerformCare provides a family-centered, community-focused single point of entry for New Jersey's eligible children and families to obtain available behavioral health, substance use treatment, and developmental disability services.

To learn more about CSOC and PerformCare, please watch the following video:

Available CSOC services and supports

The following is a brief summary of some of the supports and services that are available to New Jersey's youth and families through the Children's System of Care.

Mobile Response and Stabilization Services

Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) provide community based, face-to-face timely response to youth who are vulnerable to or experiencing stressors, coping challenges, traumatic circumstances, or emotional or behavioral symptoms, including substance use.

Mobile Response is designed as an upstream intervention available to support families and youth when they first identify they need help. CSOC relies on families to define their own need for intervention. Mobile Response can arrive within one hour, for up to 24 hours, based on the family's needs and request for assistance. Their goal is to assess, plan for, and connect families to interventions that address youth and family needs, stabilize youth emotions and behavior, and support the youth’s ability to remain at home and function within school and community settings. 

Mobile Response is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, by calling PerformCare at 1-877-652-7624. MRSS can offer up to an additional eight weeks of stabilization services in certain situations. Please note that only parents, caregivers, and legal guardians can request Mobile Response services through CSOC.

Family Support Organizations (FSO)

Family Support Organizations (FSOs) are run by families of children with emotional and behavioral challenges. They provide peer support, education, advocacy to families, and system feedback from a parent or caregiver perspective.

FSOs provide services that include support groups, educational support groups, and individual peer support for families. FSOs collaborate with CSOC stakeholders to ensure that the system is open and responsive to the needs of families and youth.

FSO supports are available to families with or without involvement in Care Management Organizations (CMOs) or Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS).

Suicide prevention

Suicide is one of the most difficult issues to talk about, even though we hear about it regularly on the news or even in popular TV shows. Having an important conversation about suicide prevention means youth are equipped, not overwhelmed, if and when the moment comes.

Discussing suicide with youth also lets them know that it is a topic they can talk to you about if they ever find themselves in the same place.

Youth suicide can be prevented. The best way to stop suicide is to get someone help as soon as you think they may be depressed. This is called early intervention.

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988)

New Jersey Hopeline (1-855-654-6735)

Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor.

Care Management Organizations and the Child Family Team

Care Management Organizations (CMOs) are county-based, nonprofit organizations in charge of face-to-face care management. They have full-service planning for youth and their families who have complex needs. They also support services that help the youth maintain stability.

The CMO staff sets up the individualized Child Family Team (CFT) meetings and creates service plans for each youth and their family. The CFT is the mechanism by which all assessment and planning for a youth and their family are accomplished. The CFT members can include the youth and the youth's parents or guardians, personnel from the Department of Children and Families, CSOC-contracted providers, school staff, and medical providers.

Substance use treatment

PerformCare can refer and authorize substance use treatment services for eligible youth who meet the clinical criteria for treatment. Parents or guardians can call PerformCare at 1-877-652-7624 for more information about eligibility, or, on their own, can contact a provider agency that provides assessment.

Intellectual and Developmental Disability Services

CSOC offers services for eligible youth who are impacted by intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and seizure disorders like epilepsy. PerformCare works with CSOC to assist families who are requesting these services.

To access services for children with intellectual or developmental disabilities through CSOC, families must first complete an eligibility application. In order to qualify, the child must be under the age of 18 and living with a caregiver.

Guides and resources

Guides and brochures from PerformCare

Educators are free to use the following PDFs as needed in their schools. Please note that most of these items are available in multiple languages on PerformCare’s Guides and Brochures Page.

CSOC Town Hall Meetings

If you are an educator and have general questions about how parents, guardians, caregivers, and families can access PerformCare services, please contact us at schools@performcarenj.org. 

Educators