Our Partners

The Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) administers the State’s child safety and permanency services.  DYFS is mandated by law to investigate all allegations of child abuse or neglect, and if the allegations are substantiated, to provide services to ensure a child’s safety, permanency and well-being.  Sometimes services can be provided to a family so that a child may safely stay at home; sometimes it is necessary to place a child with a resource family if it is determined that the child cannot safely stay at home.  Resource families include foster, kinship, guardianship and adoptive families.

To learn more about DYFS please visit their official website at http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dyfs/index.html

Essex County Prosecutor’s Office (Child Abuse Unit)

The Child Abuse Unit was established by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office in 1983 in response to growing public awareness of the urgent need to protect children and to prosecute those who harm them. The Essex County Prosecutor recognized that specialized law enforcement personnel with the desire, knowledge and experience to work with children were needed to accomplish this objective. What has evolved is a group of highly trained professionals who in some instances investigate cases exclusively, and in other cases assist Federal authorities, municipal police, medical professionals and the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) in their detection and investigation of these sensitive cases.

To learn more about the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and its Child Abuse Unit please visit their official website at http://www.njecpo.org/childab.htm

Metropolitan Regional Diagnostic and Treatment Center

The Metropolitan Regional Diagnostic and Treatment Center (RDTC) is one of the four state-designated centers for the evaluation and treatment of children who may have been the victims of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse or neglect. The mission of the center is to provide a sensitive and caring setting for children and their families to receive professional and compassionate treatment.

The RDTC provides the following services:

	Medical and psychological evaluations
	Services for the families of abused and neglected children
	Medical and psychological follow-up care for children who have been hospitalized for abuse or been seen in the ER
	Education and training to medical professionals, child protective workers, law enforcement, schools, and other community agencies. The program is located within Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. The staff consists of physicians, psychologists, social workers, and support staff. The RDTC maintains a strong working relationship with the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS), the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, and Wynona’s House.

The majority of the children referred to the RDTC are referred through DYFS.

To learn more about the Regional Diagnostic and Treatment Center please go to