Youth Substance Use Treatment Services

Substance use treatment services for children and adolescents

If your child is struggling and you suspect or know that drugs or alcohol are involved, appropriate substance use treatment services can help your child get back on track.

PerformCare can refer and authorize substance use treatment services for eligible youth who meet the clinical criteria for treatment. Please call PerformCare at 1-877-652-7624 for more information about eligibility.

If you and your child are enrolled in a Care Management Organization, or are involved with the Division of Child Protection & Permanency (DCP&P), speak to your Care Manager or case worker about additional treatment services that may be available. 

You can also contact your health insurance provider (either private insurance or NJ FamilyCare) to find out about substance use treatment services benefits.

Appropriate assessment is the first step in obtaining the right treatment. Children authorized for a BioPsychoSocial (BPS assessment) through PerformCare are also able to receive a substance use screening as part of the assessment, when indicated.

PerformCare utilizes the ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) criteria for making clinical decisions about what type of service is most appropriate. These decisions are made by Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LCADCs) with appropriate specialized training.

• Substance use treatment brochure from the New Jersey Children's System of Care. PDF
• PerformCare Provider Directory for substance use treatment service providers PDF
• Proveedores de servicios para el tratamiento del uso de sustancias PDF
• Substance use treatment FAQ for families PDF
• Preguntas frecuentes para familias PDF
  Sobre servicios para el tratamiento del abuso de sustancias tóxicas.

Special information about consent for substance use treatment services

PerformCare considers the privacy of your information as a central component of providing quality services to children, youth, and families. It is important for family members to be aware that substance use treatment services are covered under even stricter privacy rules than behavioral health and general health rules. Youth seeking substance use treatment services must consent on their own to treatment and to release of records. Parents may not access the substance use treatment portion of the record without their child's consent, nor may they sign on behalf of their child.