New Jersey
Sponsoring Agency: New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF)
Summary of Project: New Jersey’s project will introduce a new agency-wide model of management and supervision that uses data to manage toward improved outcomes for children and families. This project is a strong complement to other ongoing reform initiatives that will lead to sustainable improvements in outcomes for children and families. Its implementation will follow the intensive implementation of its practice model, which began in January 2007 and will continue through 2011. The final CFSR report will show that New Jersey has work to do to achieve outcomes and be consistent. This project will help to ensure that New Jersey is doing the work well and in a more consistent manner statewide. To that end, DCF requested support from NCIC to help embed the capacity to analyze and apply information throughout the state’s child welfare system – to support decision-making by management and improved practice in the field. DCF intends to identify one hundred staff from within DCF at the mid-management level who are best positioned to develop and leverage enhanced analytic capacity throughout the agency – and embark on a focused and structured process of interactive and applied learning with those staff for the benefit of all.
To hear about what New Jersey has been doing with their data project, please check out their presentation through the Children's Research Center on April 13, 2010,"Using SafeMeasures® to Drive System Improvements: New Jersey's Story".
Download our recently published article: "New Jersey Department of Children and Families 'Managing by Data' National Promising Practice Findings".
