Official Site of The State of New Jersey
The Kinship Navigator program provides information, referral, financial assistance and legal services to caregivers raising children. The purpose of the Kinship Navigator program is to provide caregivers with services and supports that they or the children need.
Program Goals
The local kinship agencies serve three functions. First, Kinship staff through enhanced case management services helps caregivers “navigate” through various community resources. Secondly, kinship agencies determine if the caregiver’s family is eligible for Kinship Navigator Program benefits such as help with short-term expenses for the relative child, such as furniture, moving expenses and clothing. Finally, kinship agencies provide technical support and guide the family through the process of Kinship Legal Guardianship if the caregiver wishes to make a legal commitment to the child.
Population Focus
Kinship caregivers are special people who have taken on the responsibility of caring for their relatives' children. These children might be the caregiver’s siblings, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, or child of a friend.
The children may be eligible for monthly payments through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program as well as Medicaid health insurance.
Note: The Kinship Navigator Program differs from the services provided by Child Protection and Permanency (CP&P) which formally places a child with a relative for care. If you are caring for a relative who was placed with you by CP&P and the case is active, contact your CP&P caseworker to find out what services might be available. However, if your CP&P case is closed, you may be eligible for Kinship Navigator Program services.
You've come to the right place for help! Call 211
By dialing 211, eligible kinship caregivers can get help addressing immediate problems, and they will also be referred to a local Kinship agency which will work with caregivers to access additional services.
The kinship agency is there to help caregivers to access services.
Support services, available through numerous government and private agencies, include:
- Referrals to grandparenting and family support groups
- Help with medical coverage and services
- Child support collection assistance
- Housing assistance
- Help with legal services and fees
- Help to buy furniture for the child
- Tutoring services for the children in your care
- Help with paying for summer camp for the child
- Financial services
This service assists caregivers making a legal commitment to the child/children in their care. For more information, call 211.
To obtain legal guardianship caregivers must have been caring for a child for at least one year and accept responsibility for the child until the child’s eighteenth birthday. (Twenty-one if the child is disabled).
Caregivers who have legal guardianship may also be eligible for a subsidy.
Contact
The telephone numbers of the four kinship agencies and the counties they serve are listed below:
- CarePlus, NJ - (201) 398-9110 ext. 5645
- Serving Bergen, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren Counties
- Children’s Aid and Family Service - 1-201-225-8844 or 211
- Serving Essex County
- Children’s Home Society - 1-800-396-4518
- Serving Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, Hunterdon, and Union Counties
- Center for Family Services - 1-877-569-0350
- Serving Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties
| Agency Name | Telephone Number | Counties Covered |
| Care Plus NJ, Inc. | (201)398-9110 | Bergen, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren Counties. |
| Children’s Aid and Family Service | (201)225-8844 or 211 | Essex County |
| Children’s Home Society | (800)396-4518 | Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, Hunterdon, and Union Counties. |
| Center for Family Services | (877)569-0350 | Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties. |
Program Care FAQs
To find out more about Kinship Navigator services, call 2-1-1 toll free. You will talk to a 2-1-1 staff person who will help you if you have an immediate need and will then refer you to your local Kinship agency.
Kinship Agencies
- CarePlus, NJ
- (201) 797-2660 or (201) 398-9110, serving Bergen, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren Counties
- Children’s Aid and Family Service
- 1-201-225-8844 or 211, serving Essex County
- Children’s Home Society
- (609) 695-6274, serving Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, Hunterdon, and Union Counties.
- Center for Family Services
- 1-877-569-0350, serving Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties
The application takes about 20 minutes over the phone. After you complete the application, the kinship agency will contact you to set up a home visit. Every year you’ll need to call your kinship agency to reapply.
Services available through the Kinship Navigator Program include (but are not limited to) help with the following:
- Payment for clothing for the child
- Referrals to grandparenting and family support groups
- Getting medical coverage and services
- Housing
- Payment for furniture (for example, a bed, dresser, book shelves)
- Payment for tutoring services and extra curricular activities for the child
- Payment for summer camp for the child
- Payment for graduation expenses for the child
As long as the child(ren) remain in your care and is/are under age 18, or 21 and disabled.
Yes, the child must be living with you.
No. You may be a neighbor or someone with a close emotional relationship to the child. However, you must be able to prove you are the primary caregiver of the child.
It is a legal status that gives the caregiver the authority to make decisions concerning the child's welfare.
Yes, you may be eligible for a subsidy. Call your Kinship Agency for more information and other community services.