For Community Partners

The Children's Interagency Coordinating Council of Bergen County (CIACC) maintains a provider list.  It is also always available on the CIACC page on BergenResourceNet.org for sustainable reference. It is reviewed and updated as needed each year.

Review our Frequently Asked Questions for a simple, straightforward overview. Contact us to arrange for:

• An in-service for your district nurses, Child Study Team, Student Assistance Counselors, Guidance team, Health teachers, Advisory Group leaders and/or other interested teachers.
• Invite us to participate in your school's wellness fair!
• Invite us to table at your Back to School Night, and/or present at an upcoming PTA meeting!

Supportive counseling and therapy services are available for children experiencing mild to moderate mental health and behavioral concerns through the Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Program (IECMH) within Care Plus NJ. Services are available for children 12 and under residing in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic county.

https://www.bergenresourcenet.org/search/infant-early-childhood-mental-health-iecmh-care-plus-nj/

It's an easy three step process to get families started.

There is no limit. A youth and family can call PerformCare as many times as needed up to the youth's 21^st birthday, regardless of prior enrollment(s) in CMO services through Perform Care.

When a family receives a referral from Perform Care, they are not always referred directly to Bergen's Promise/Care Management Organization (CMO) at the time of referral. Referrals are based on evaluations and information provided to Perform Care's Care Coordinators on the call. These determine the level of need for each youth and family.

There can be period of time (up to 8 weeks) where an in-home therapist is assigned to work with the youth and family through the Children's Mobile Response and Stabilization team. The Children's Mobile Response team is not required to contact the schools during this time.

At the end of this approximate time frame, it is determined whether this youth is in need of a higher level of care (CMO) or outpatient services. The family may think they are connected to CMO, when in reality they actually have not yet been officially referred by PerformCare.

Collaboration Once Bergen's Promise receives a referral from PerformCare, the Care Manager will have an initial meeting with the family within 72 business hours pending the family's availability and preferences. The Care Manager will require permission from the family in order to include a school representative(s) on their Child and Family Team.

Communication If the family approves school involvement, the Care Manager will send this introductory letter to both the school and the school district within 7 days of the family approval. This letter informs the school of the date of the 30 day Child and Family Team (CFT) meeting and asks the school to designate a representative for the CFT. A copy of the parent's consent form is also included in this communication from the Care Manager. The Care Manager will have at least one contact per month with the designated school representative.The school representative will be invited to every Child and Family Team meeting thereafter. These occur every 60-90 days typically and are held at a time convenient to the majority of CFT members. Often they are held at the school. If the school representative cannot attend, they will be asked to provide an email update regarding the needs, strategies, goals and schedule of the student related to school behavior and academics. The Care Manager will also schedule a follow up call with the school representative to review what was discussed at the CFT. Regular communication is key to the CFT process and the sustainable success of the student.

Knowledge The Care Manager will ensure that the education expectations of the school district, parent/caregiver, and Bergen's Promise are aligned with the student's education plan. The Care Manager will request copies of the student's current Individualized Education Plan, report cards, 504 plan, behavior plans - all information regarding the student's history and current status as applicable.

No, Family Support Partners (FSP’s) are parents and or caregivers themselves who have raised a child with special needs and therefore have first hand knowledge from experience.  They also have received extensive training about the special education laws in the State of NJ. They act as a support and advisor to the parents who have a child with special education needs.

Yes. A youth 14+ can refuse services, as services provided through Perform Care and Children's System of Care are voluntary. Exceptions would be youth and family who are court involved where services are court ordered or court mandated, however even then they can refuse and CMO would only notify the court. A youth 14+ can refuse consent for their Care Manager to speak with the school and/or district.

Schools are invaluable members of the CFT regardless of whether or not a student has an Individualized Education Plan or 504 plan, and whether or not they demonstrate behavioral or academic concerns. If a student receives specialized services through the school such as physical, occupational, speech therapy, these can be replicated and utilized in the home. If the student is thriving and successful in the school environment, the Child and Family Team members should share those techniques and strategies to replicate them in the home.

Upon enrollment, a member of the BHH team will contact the school nurse to establish a collaborative relationship. Health and wellness needs that arise in school can be brought to the attention of the BHH staff for discussion with the youth, family and Child Family Team as needed. Additionally, BHH staff will ask the school nurse to measure the student's height, weight and blood pressure at least quarterly and share this information with the BHH staff member. Collection of this information is a requirement of the BHH program, but it also encourages students to become familiar with their school nurse as an ongoing health and wellness resource. If appropriate, BHH staff may work with the school nurse or other school staff to arrange in-school meetings with the student.

Here is a sample School Nurse Introduction Letter and Tracking Form.

If a student is having a hard time managing emotions or behaviors, Intensive In-Community Therapists (IIC) and/or Behavioral Assistants (BA) may work with him/her. If a student is DD-eligible through the NJ Children's System of Care, Intensive In-Home clinicians (IIH) may join the team. There are IIH-Clinical therapists as well as IIH-Behavioral such as Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBA), Applied Behavior Analysts (ABA). Students that are DD-eligible with IIH-Clinical therapists may also have Individual Support Services (ISS) put in place as well for behavior and activity of daily living (ADL) skill training.Support may be provided to parents as well in the form of therapeutic parent coaching and parent mentoring.

Please review the current Clinical Criteria for each of these service lines issued by the Division of Children's System of Care (CSOC) and utilized by PerformCare (the Contracted System Administrator for the NJ Children's System of Care).

Some students may require a higher level of therapeutic treatment in a residential setting. Out of Home treatment is an intervention, not a destination. When a Child-Family team is considering OOH treatment as an intervention, the school will receive a formal letter from the Care Manager informing of this option, and inviting school staff to participate in the discussion regarding this strategy. Review this presentation to better understand this process.

If you have further questions or concerns related to the OOH treatment process, contact Bergen's Promise Education Collaboration Manager, Daria Tabbacchino, BA at dtabbacchino@bergenspromise.org 201-777-5708.

A youth 14+ can refuse Out of Home treatment services (OOH). OOH treatment services must be agreed upon by ALL Child and Family Team (CFT) members (including the youth). Exceptions would be I/DD youth or youth who are court involved where OOH treatment is court mandated.

Bergen's Promise Educational Folders contain handouts that explain the Children's System of Care and the role of PerformCare. Also included are handouts describing Bergen's Promise care management services, our Wraparound Child Family Team approach and flyers about the BergenResourceNet. (Spanish Version also Available)

There is also a 30 second PSA created by Bergen's Promise that the district can embed on the website or distribute via district email.

NO. Care Managers and other Care Management Organization staff are not Advocates. Care Managers are supports for the family and facilitate the  development of the Child Family Team over time.  They also link families to in-community supports as well as help develop an individual service plan for the youth and family.   For more information regarding the role of a Care Manager.

When a Care Manager is invited to attend an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting, they are guests at the meeting and will only offer valuable insights, updates, and information regarding the relevant in-home services and supports offered by the NJ Children’s System of Care.

Thanks to community partners, we have two bilingual presentations explaining the services of the NJ Children's System of Care and BergenResourceNet.org, the mobile friendly, online resource portal for Bergen County.

1. Bilingual Spanish presentation for parents as a post-Back to School Night event was recorded in partnership with Palisades Park School District.

2. Bilingual Korean presentation for parents

as part of an Autism Seminar Series was recorded in partnership with the Korean Community Center and Bergen County Special Child Health Services.

3.  Bergen's Promise website is translatable!   Click the American flag icon in the upper right corner of the screen (above FAQs on the menu bar).  You will have options to choose from multiple languages. You would need to follow  the same steps to convert back to English. IMPORTANT NOTE: this will not translate any linked documents or embedded videos.   

4.  A simple 'how to' document with screenshots:  5 Steps--How to Turn On Auto-translate Close Captions for languages than English in YouTube videos

There are many guides and brochures available in multiple languages on the Children's System of Care website.

Please contact Daria Tabbacchino, Education Collaboration Manager

Email - dtabbacchino@bergenspromise.org

Direct Office: 201-777-5708

Cell: 201-543-4487

NJ Children's System of Care (CSOC) behavioral health and substance use services are available to all families who are New Jersey residents, regardless of citizenship status or documentation status.  

However, according to 22NJ regulation, only New Jersey residents who are U.S. citizens or permanent alien residents (green card holders) can qualify to receive certain services for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.  Families or caregivers of undocumented individuals are encouraged to contact PerformCare to discuss potential service options.

Learn more about each of these categories. This information may be shared with families as a resource for in-home services upon leaving Early Intervention.

• Intensive In-Home Services - Clinical/Therapeutic (IIH-C/T) - How is this different than intensive in community services?
• Intensive In-Home Services - Behavioral (IIH-ABA) - If my child receives ABA services in school then isn't this automatic?
• Individual Support Services (ISS) - How is this different from a Home Health Aide?
• If your child is under 18, complete the application to determine eligibility for developmental disability (DD) services. The application is available on the family page of the NJ Children's System of Care website.
• Resources after school graduation
• Over age 18, NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities is responsible for determining eligibility for DD service
• Services over age 21 (linkage to DDD services)

Review these Frequently Asked Questions for a simple, straightforward overview. Contact us to request an in-service for your clinicians, residents, intake department and other team members!

It's an easy three step process to get families started.

Prescription Pad: We have created a 2-sided, bilingual prescription pad that includes the common situations that might be discussed by the family during their child's well child visit. These situations can be a 'trigger' for medical staff to inform the family of the Children's System of Care and encouraging them to call PerformCare for a referral. This also informs the family of BergenResourceNet.org - the comprehensive resource directory for Bergen County. You can download and print the prescription pad below, or contact us to request prescription pads to keep in your exam rooms.

Prescription Pad for Healthcare Providers (Bilingual)

Bergen's Promise info folders (English, Spanish) for your practice. These folders contain handouts that explain the Children's System of Care and the role of PerformCare. Also included are handouts describing Bergen's Promise care management services, our Wraparound Child Family Team approach and flyers about the BergenResourceNet. Contact us to request a quantity of Bergen's Promise folders.

There are also many guides and brochures available in multiple languages on the Children's System of Care website. PerformCare also has a 3 minute video with Spanish close captioning.

Encourage your intake/reception staff to ask parents/caregivers of youth under age 21 whether they are receiving care management support with Bergen's Promise.   If 'yes' then encourage them to make a note in the youth's chart.

If the family approves health care provider involvement, the Care Manager will send this introductory letter to the pediatric practice within 7 days of the family approval. This letter asks you to designate a representative for the Child and Family Team (CFT) meeting. Your participation may be in the form that is most convenient for you.A copy of the parent's consent form is also included in this communication from the Care Manager.

Collaboration!

• Once Bergen's Promise receives a referral from PerformCare, the Care Manager will have an initial meeting with the family within 72 business hours.
• The Care Manager seeks permission from the family to include their primary care provider on their Child Family Team.

Please contact us to explore an opportunity for a more collaborative care approach for shared youth/patients through a HIPAA Business Associates Agreement.

Upon enrollment, BHH staff will send a letter and HIPAA release informing the youth's Primary Care Provider of the youth's involvement with the program. BHH staff may request information or documentation from recent physicals or visits to confirm the youth's needs and current health status. At times, BHH staff may accompany a patient during a visit to assist with communication and follow-through with provider recommendations. BHH staff invite open communication about the youth's health needs from your perspective, and can provide updates on current wellness goals. BHH encourages communication between all members of the family's healthcare team.

Click here to see a sample PCP Introduction Letter.

Bergen's Promise is required by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families to obtain a copy of discharge paperwork within 24 hours of a youth's discharge from hospitalization. Bergen's Promise is able to provide a copy of the youth's HIPAA release if needed. Obtaining a copy of this paperwork, as well as discharge paperwork from emergency department visits, enables the child family team to review discharge plans to ensure that the family has the needed knowledge, resources, and supports to follow-through with recommendations. If a family informs you of their involvement with Bergen's Promise, discharge documentation should be faxed to 201-712-0391.

Bergen's Promise strives to improve the health literacy of the families we serve so they can better manage their healthcare needs independently upon graduation from services. Through a health literacy screening project, our agency found a high prevalence of low health literacy among our families. Click here to review the 2017 Health Literacy Research Poster. We encourage families to use tools like Ask Me3u00aeto improve their communication with healthcare providers. We encourage you to share this resource with the patients in your practice; click here to access Ask Me 3 ® We have also been recognized as Health LiteracyHeroes (https://healthliteracymonth.org/bergens-promise/). You can also learn more about our NJAMHAA HealthLiteracypresentation too. If you are interested in learning more, or partnering with us in our efforts to address health literacy, please contact us.

If a student is having a hard time managing emotions or behaviors, Intensive In-Community Therapists (IIC) and/or Behavioral Assistants (BA) may work with him/her. If a student is DD-eligible through the NJ Children's System of Care, Intensive In-Home clinicians (IIH) may join the team. There are IIH-Clinical therapists as well as IIH-Behavioral such as Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBA), Applied Behavior Analysts (ABA). Students that are DD-eligible with IIH-Clinical therapists may also have Individual Support Services (ISS) put in place as well for behavior and activity of daily living (ADL) skill training.Support may be provided to parents as well in the form of therapeutic parent coaching and parent mentoring.

Please review the current Clinical Criteria for each of these service lines issued by the Division of Children's System of Care (CSOC) and utilized by PerformCare (the Contracted System Administrator for the NJ Children's System of Care).

Thanks to community partners, we have two bilingual presentations explaining the services of the NJ Children's System of Care and BergenResourceNet.org, the mobile friendly, online resource portal for Bergen County.

1. Bilingual Spanish presentation for parents as a post-Back to School Night event was recorded in partnership with Palisades Park School District.

2. Bilingual Korean presentation for parents

as part of an Autism Seminar Series was recorded in partnership with the Korean Community Center and Bergen County Special Child Health Services.

3.  Bergen's Promise website is translatable!   Click the American flag icon in the upper right corner of the screen (above FAQs on the menu bar).  You will have options to choose from multiple languages. You would need to follow  the same steps to convert back to English. IMPORTANT NOTE: this will not translate any linked documents or embedded videos.   

4.  A simple 'how to' document with screenshots:  5 Steps--How to Turn On Auto-translate Close Captions for languages than English in YouTube videos

There are many guides and brochures available in multiple languages on the Children's System of Care website.

NJ Children's System of Care (CSOC) behavioral health and substance use services are available to all families who are New Jersey residents, regardless of citizenship status or documentation status.  

However, according to 22NJ regulation, only New Jersey residents who are U.S. citizens or permanent alien residents (green card holders) can qualify to receive certain services for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.  Families or caregivers of undocumented individuals are encouraged to contact PerformCare to discuss potential service options.

Learn more about the Intellectual and Developmental Disability services available through the NJ Children's System of Care (CSOC).   See also NJ Children's System of Care Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services handout.    There are additional resources available in multiple languages through the same website.  This information may also be shared with families as a resource for in-home services upon leaving Early Intervention.

• DD Eligibility.If your child is under 18, complete the application to determine eligibility for developmental disability (DD) services. The application is available on the family page of the NJ Children's System of Care website.
• Family Support Services (FSS) 
• Respite
• Assistive Technology
• Camps

See the FAQs for youth and families about all these services on the PerformCare website.

Learn more about each of these categories. This information may be shared with families as a resource for in-home services upon leaving Early Intervention.

• Intensive In-Home Services - Clinical/Therapeutic (IIH-C/T) - How is this different than intensive in community services?
• Intensive In-Home Services - Behavioral (IIH-ABA) - If my child receives ABA services in school then isn't this automatic?
• Individual Support Services (ISS) - How is this different from a Home Health Aide?
• If your child is under 18, complete the application to determine eligibility for developmental disability (DD) services. The application is available on the family page of the NJ Children's System of Care website.
• Resources after school graduation
• Over age 18, NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities is responsible for determining eligibility for DD service
• Services over age 21 (linkage to DDD services)

The acronyms, abbreviations, and the services themselves can be quite confusing to caregivers and professionals from other industries.  You can access the following glossaries to improve understanding:

• Frequently Used CSOC Acronyms (PDF) 
• PerformCare Glossary - See a list of service definitions and other terms used in the System of Care.
• LGBTQIA+ Common Terminology

As a partner of Bergen’s Promise, all partners, vendors and other parties are made aware of our established high standards for legal compliance and of the existence and content of the Compliance Plan. Bergen’s Promise will always demand that their agents, independent contractors, and other parties with whom they have a similar relationship comply with the Plan and obtain representations to that effect from such parties. Further, Bergen’s Promise will not retain or enter a relationship with any person or entity which is not in compliance with the Plan, and it will take all reasonable steps to ascertain whether such person or entity is properly licensed and excluded or debarred from any federal, state, or other program for professional fee reimbursement. Such steps shall include, without limitation, review of the List of Excluded Individuals/Entities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General ("OIG"). The failure of such person or entity to comply with the standards set forth in the Plan will constitute grounds for termination of Bergen’s Promise's relationship with such third parties. Please review Bergen’s Promise Compliance Plan HERE. Have a compliance issue? Contact our Reporting Hotline

When arriving at the home, ask the parents/caregivers/youth if the youth is involved in therapy services. 

If YES, inquire if the services are in the home or outpatient and encourage them to call their therapist. 

If NO, please encourage the parents/caregiver to contact PerformCare for a referral to services.  PerformCare can be accessed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week at 1-877-652-7624.

PerformCare referrals can be made including but not limited to; mental health challenges, domestic violence, physical, mental and/or emotional abuse, substance use, suicide, Intellectual Disabilities (I/DD), truancy, criminal activity, arson, homelessness, human trafficking, DCPP.

PerformCare is the single point of entry to access services for mental and/or behavioral health issues, developmental disabilities and/or substance misuse available publicly through the New Jersey's Children's System of Care for youth up to age 21.

Parents or legal guardians call PerformCare at 1-877-652-7624 to access services, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Do not hesitate to ask a trusted school representative to assist you in making the call to PerformCare.

PerformCare will conduct an assessment and link the youth and family with the services they need in the most appropriate setting. These services may include: care management, mobile response and stabilization services, a more extensive needs assessment, outpatient services, among other options. PerformCare may authorize Children's Mobile Response Stabilization Services (MRSS) to come your home within one hour of notification to provide face-to-face crisis services. The goal is to stabilize behavior and keep your child at home. Mobile response is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can offer up to eight weeks of stabilization services. In Bergen County, these services are contracted with CarePlusNJ.

There are many guides and brochures available in multiple languages on the Children's System of Care website to help you understand the services available. PeformCare also has a 3 minute video available with Spanish subtitles. There is a new Spanish-language mini-site integrated on the PerformCare website, available at www.performcarenj.org/espanol

These services are provided at no cost to families regardless of income, insurance and immigration status, however families will be asked to provide insurance information if they have it. View additional details about how these services are covered for families. (available in Spanish, Mandarin, Korean and Portuguese).

In case of emergency, call 911.

Individuals living with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) may feel anxious, presenting with (e.g. pacing, talking to self, red face, clenched fists, not making eye contact, walking away). The best way to respond so as not to trigger any reactive behaviors is:

1. Inquire about the youth’s triggers and risk factors (non-verbal etc)
2. Keep your voice calm and talk slowly
3. Allow time for the individual to process what you are saying
4. Do not touch the individual without letting them know what you are going to do
5. Do not require eye contact
6. Ask if there is an emergency contact you can call for the individual

Helpful resources: The Wallet Card® Project – Helping People with Disabilities Communicate with First Responders https://www.justdigit.org/wallet-cards

Asperger/Autism Network Wallet Card https://www.aane.org/resources/wallet-card

Yes!  Please reference the  PerformCare Business Card

No.  Care Management Organization (CMO) services are voluntary in every circumstance, even if the youth is court mandated.

Yes!   The Care Manager can connect a youth involved with CMO to substance treatment if needed.

A youth's probation officer should attend the youth's Child and Family Team (CFT) meeting to help ensure that all team members are provided with accurate information and agree with the treatment plan.  Also, to ensure that the court order is being upheld.

No, formal documentation will not be provided however, all system partners are encouraged to participate in Child Family Team (CFT) meetings and monthly collaboration meetings.

A 14 day plan includes the youth's service plan while a court report only provides a brief progress update on the youth.

The reports to the Court that are provided by the Care Management Organization (CMO) provide brief progress updates on the youth’s treatment process.

Shekinah Williams, MSW, LSW
Juvenile Justice Operations Manager
Bergen's Promise
Cell: 551-486-8279
Office: 201-712-1170 ext. 5789
Fax: 201-712-0391
swilliams@bergenspromise.org 

Shekinah can be contacted for any juvenile justice-involved Bergen's Promise youth and court collaboration. Please also contact her for the referral process for juvenile justice-involved youth and linkage to Care Management Organization services.   

To request an in-service for your team members and/or to explore other partnership opportunities please email:  communityresources@bergenspromise.org.

As a partner of Bergen’s Promise, all partners, vendors and other parties are made aware of our established high standards for legal compliance and of the existence and content of the Compliance Plan. Bergen’s Promise will always demand that their agents, independent contractors, and other parties with whom they have a similar relationship comply with the Plan and obtain representations to that effect from such parties. Further, Bergen’s Promise will not retain or enter a relationship with any person or entity which is not in compliance with the Plan, and it will take all reasonable steps to ascertain whether such person or entity is properly licensed and excluded or debarred from any federal, state, or other program for professional fee reimbursement. Such steps shall include, without limitation, review of the List of Excluded Individuals/Entities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General ("OIG"). The failure of such person or entity to comply with the standards set forth in the Plan will constitute grounds for termination of Bergen’s Promise's relationship with such third parties. Please review Bergen’s Promise Compliance Plan HERE. Have a compliance issue? Contact our Reporting Hotline