Sponsored by:
Senator FRED H. MADDEN, JR.
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DCF to publish and disseminate information on early childhood mental health to certain professionals.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee on January 4, 2024, with amendments.
An Act concerning children and mental health and supplementing Title 9 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Children and Families, in collaboration with the Department of 1Health, the Department of1 Human Services1,1 and the Department of Education, shall publish information on early childhood mental health on its Internet website 1[and disseminate the information to social workers, teachers, and child care workers, whose work consists primarily of providing services to children who are five years of age or younger]1.
b. The information 1[established] published1 pursuant to this section shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) discussing the importance for early childhood mental health awareness;
(2) appropriately relaying mental health concerns to a parent or guardian; and
(3) referring a parent or guardian to State or community resources to assess a child’s mental health needs 1[;].1
c. 1The Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Education shall disseminate the information pursuant to this section to social workers, teachers, and child care workers, within their respective licensed or contracted programs, whose work consists primarily of providing services to children who are five years of age or younger.
d.1 The Department of Children and Families 1[may provide in-service training of social workers, teachers, and child care workers on] , the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Education shall coordinate on the dissemination of1 the information published 1[and disseminated]1 pursuant to this section.
2. 1[The Department of Children and Families, in] In1 accordance with Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), 1the Department of Children and Families, in consultation with the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Education1 shall adopt rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take effect no later than 360 days after the date of enactment.