The mission of DYFS must reflect a comprehensive child welfare responsibility, not merely a narrow child protection focus. DYFS and the Department of Human Services have a pivotal responsibility for comprehensive child and family welfare issues. This responsibility may be shared with other Divisions, other entities in State and local government, and with the private sector. The New Jersey child welfare system must begin to balance its commitment to protection, care, and treatment with a more aggressive investment in prevention and early intervention. Adoption of a prevention strategy requires an understanding of the continuum from family normalization and community integration to family preservation and family reunification to permanent care.
Prevention is a critical value that requires multi-system interventions.
Short Term vs. Long Term Investment and Reward Communities in general and the child welfare system in specific must make long term investments in systems that serve children and families. In the field of child welfare, the acceptance of short term strategies without regard to future consequences not only increases the financial costs, but also incurs great human expense. Narrow vs. Broad Definition of Child Protection Child protection may be seen narrowly as the immediate rescue of children from imminent physical harm. At the other end of the continuum, a broad definition of child protection includes two additional steps beyond immediate rescue. Second, actions are undertaken to ensure that risk to the child does not recur by re-establishing the family's capacity to nurture and protect the child.