The state Division of Child Protection and Permanency (CP&P), formerly known as the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS), has placed a child in your home. You may be related to the child, a close friend of the family or perhaps the child has been in your home for a long time. Your CP&P case manager has explained that it is unlikely the child will return to their parents. CP&P is asking you to make a permanent commitment to raise this child. You have lots of questions. What are your options? What financial supports will be available to you?
It is important for you to understand the different permanency options available to you and the child in your home. You should learn about all the options, the financial supports available with each, and how those supports may affect other benefits you receive before making your final decision. This guide gives you an overview of one permanency option – kinship legal guardianship (KLG) – as a first step toward making this all-important decision.
Please Note: This booklet is not intended to offer legal advice or legal guidance. You should consult the professionals involved in your child’s case, including the CP&P case manager, the child’s attorney (law guardian) and the attorney for CP&P (the Deputy Attorney General [DAG]). For more information or if you have questions not answered in this guide, contact Mary E. Coogan, Esq., vice president at Advocates for Children of New Jersey and director of the KidLaw Resource Center, at mcoogan@acnj.org.
The KidLaw Resource Center offers information, assistance and trainings about the rights of children. The Center provides free fact sheets, manuals and other resources. Staff is available to provide presentations and trainings on children’s legal rights. Visit www.acnj.org for more information.