ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 389

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED: DECEMBER 18, 1997

 

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 389 (1R).

      Assembly Bill No. 389 (1R) of 1996 establishes four regional diagnostic and treatment centers for child abuse and neglect affiliated with medical centers in the State that meet standards adopted by the Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Governor's Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect. Each center's staff shall include, at a minimum, a pediatrician, a consulting psychiatrist, a psychologist and a social worker who are trained to evaluate and treat children who have been abused and neglected and their families. The regional centers would:

    Evaluate and treat child abuse and neglect,

    Be a resource for the region and develop additional resources within a region,

    Provide training and consultative services,

    Provide 24-hour daily emergency phone consultation,

    Be a source for research and training for additional medical and mental health personnel dedicated to the identification and treatment of child abuse and neglect, and

    Provide liaison with the appropriate Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) district office and county prosecutor's office.

      The bill appropriates $1.5 million from the General Fund to implement the program.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:

      This bill makes a General Fund appropriation of $1.5 million to the Department of Human Services (DHS). To implement the legislation, DHS would issue a Request for Proposal to solicit bids from qualified providers that wish to establish a regional diagnostic and treatment center in each of the four regions of the State. Once proposals are received and reviewed, the adequacy of the $1.5 million General Fund appropriation can be better determined.