- The state announced that it will provide $7.3 million to pay for additional hours of caregiving for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
New Jersey will provide $7.3 million to pay for additional hours of emergency caregiving for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, after Gov. Phil Murphy signed the state budget and a bipartisan bill into law last week.
Murphy on Friday signed S2491/A3412, which raised the number of hours respite care workers can put in from 60 hours in a three-month period to 90. The 50% increase is an effort to address the shortfall of available caregivers within the Children’s System of Care, a state program that provides services for thousands of children with disabilities.
The additional funding in the budget will support the expanded caregiving.
“As many know, even on the best days, being a parent is a full-time job; however, for those who have to step into the role of caregiver for their children, it is especially demanding, even for the strongest and most resilient among us,” Murphy said in a statement. “By increasing the number of respite care service hours funded through the Department of Children and Families, we are supporting caregivers across the Garden State.”
The CSOC program has long been strained with limited resources and high demand, especially when it comes to finding emergency housing and treatment for kids with disabilities whose behavior can be violent. The additional funding is welcome, said Suzanne Buchanan, executive director of advocacy group Autism New Jersey.
“Raising a child with autism could be considered ‘extreme parenting,’" she said. "The caregiving demands are higher in terms of supervision and safety, advocating for and securing services, and adapting their lives to their child’s needs while trying to meet all family members’ needs."
"Respite relieves some of that stress - practically and emotionally," she said. "While finding compassionate and skilled respite providers remains a challenge, hopefully this new funding increases the availability of respite services, especially for the families who need it the most.”
An estimated 13,000 children and teens with disabilities take part in the Children's System of Care in New Jersey. Despite that, the state has just 353 emergency beds set aside for the population with just 187 of those actually available because of staffing shortages.
The legislation was sponsored by state Sens. Paul Sarlo and Kristin Corrado and Assembly members Chris Tully and Lisa Swain.
“Increasing the number of hours and dedicating funds for those that take care of our loved ones not only helps our families with much-needed assistance, but it will also attract highly qualified people to the profession," said Corrado, a Bergen County Republican. "Additionally, this bill will help relieve the daily stresses and demands of caring for a child with a functional impairment to give everyone involved the peace of mind they deserve."
Freehold’s Lisa Fitton waited almost two years for the state to arrange an emergency out-of-home placement in a group home for her son, whose severe autism can trigger violent outbursts.
"Every day was like a test of survival,” she said, describing confrontations with Andrew, now 24, that left both of her arms scarred from his bites. She had to flee and hide whenever he lost control.
Fitton was skeptical the additional funding would truly address the most high-need families.
“It's good that more hours have been approved. But the bigger problem is finding the staff. We had been approved for a number of hours, but the issue was finding staff who felt they could handle him,” she said. “Where do you find them? How do you train them, and how do you keep them?
“It's really hard to work with kids who are kicking you and throwing things for $15-$17 an hour. You could work at ShopRite for that kind of money or maybe more,” Fitton said.
Gene Myers covers disability and mental health for NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: myers@northjersey.com
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