About NJCSI

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Mission Statement

NJCSI's mission is to deliver coordinated and comprehensive training to the thousands of professionals who work in New Jersey's Child Support Program to ensure that children and their families obtain the financial and medical security they deserve.

What We Offer

The New Jersey Child Support Institute (NJCSI) provides customized training programs for State, county, and Judiciary employees who work in New Jersey's Child Support Program. NJCSI offers courses at attractive and modern facilities in three convenient locations. Instructors include subject matter experts and former child support professionals with experience in the Office of Child Support Services, the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Judiciary, the Family Divisions, the Probation Child Support Enforcement Units, and the County Welfare Agencies.

The NJCSI courses include:

New Hire Training: A ten-day course required for new hires within the first six months of employment. This course provides an understanding of the foundation of the Title IV-D Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Program in New Jersey, with a focus on statutes, regulations, and rules. An overview of the Automated Child Support Enforcement System (ACSES) and simulation activities are also provided.
Experienced Refresher Course: A five-day course for child support staff who have been employed for more than six months. The course provides an overview of New Jersey's Child Support Program, an update on Federal and State regulations, enhancements to ACSES, and recent developments in case initiation, locate, intrastate/interstate matters, enforcement, and financial reporting.
Judicial Education: This course is currently under evaluation and development. Workgroups have convened to conduct needs assessments for curriculum development.

Who We Are

NJCSI represents the commitment of the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Office of Child Support Services, and its partners at the Administrative Office of the Courts, the County Welfare Agencies, and the School of Social Work at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, to enhance the knowledge base and technical skills of the professionals who work with and on behalf of custodial parents.

Office of Child Support Services (OCSS)
A unit of the Department of Human Services, OCSS was established in 1975 through Part D of Title IV of the Social Security Act. The OCSS is responsible to the Federal government for the overall administration and regulatory oversight of the Child Support Program.

The New Jersey Judiciary
The New Jersey Judiciary is the judicial branch of State government and includes the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) and, within each county, a Family Division, a Probation Child Support Enforcement (PCSE) Unit, and a Vicinage Finance Division. The AOC provides technical support and oversight of the local court divisions, manages the Central Registry for the receipt of all incoming interstate complaints, and maintains and reconciles accounts related to support payments. The Family Division provides case initiation and order establishment/modification services. The PCSE Unit provides enforcement services, and the Vicinage Finance Division provides financial support. The Judiciary has a Cooperative Agreement with OCSS to provide these services.

County Welfare Agencies (CWAs)

While supervised by OCSS, New Jersey's Child Support Program is administered at the county level by CWAs and the court system (through the Judiciary Family Divisions and the Probation Child Support Enforcement Units, respectively). The CWAs are responsible for providing assistance in the location of non-custodial parents, establishment of paternity, and obtaining court orders for child and medical support. These services are also provided to Temporary Assistance to Needy Family (TANF) cases.

School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

One of the largest schools in the United States devoted to education and research on social welfare, Rutgers School of Social Work is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and provides more than 400 continuing education and professional development courses and workshops annually, in addition to undergraduate and graduate-professional degree programs.

Rutgers School of Social Work is responsible for the development, delivery, evaluation, and coordination of the classroom and Web-based training available through NJCSI.

Disclaimer

Thank you for your interest in NJCSI. Our professional development programs are limited to State and county employees that work in New Jersey's Child Support Program.