- How do I contact the Kinship Navigator Program?
- I am already receiving Kinship services and need the phone number of my local agency. Can you help?
- How long will it take to apply?
- What types of services can we receive?
- For how long am I eligible for kinship services?
- Does the child have to live with me?
- Must I be related to the child?
- What is Kinship Legal Guardianship?
- Can I get any other benefits from Legal Guardianship?
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.
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Kinship Agencies
- CarePlus, NJ
- (201) 797-2660 or (201) 398-9110, serving Bergen, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren Counties
- The Salvation Army
- (973) 623-8471 or 973 623-8472, 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
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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.
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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
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As long as the child(ren) remain in your care and is/are under age 18, or 21 and disabled.
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Yes, the child must be living with you.
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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.
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It is a legal status that gives the caregiver the authority to make decisions concerning the child's welfare.
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Yes, you may be eligible for a subsidy. Call your Kinship Agency for more information and other community services.
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