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How to Refer a Youth to NJ's Children's System of Care (CSOC)

How to Refer a Youth to NJ's Children's System of Care (CSOC)

Call the Contracted System Administrator (CSA), Perform Care at 1-877-652-7624
You will hear an automated voice-mail system with the following choices:

  • If this is a Life Threatening Emergency, hang up and Dial 911
  • If this an emergency where your child or another person's safety is at risk, Press 0
  • If you are a parent, legal guardian or youth, Press 2
  • If you are calling from DCPP, the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, or are calling about a child who is involved with DCPP, Press 3
  • If you are calling about young adult Independent Living programs available through the Adolescent Housing Hub, Press 4
  • If you are a provider, Press 5
  • For all other questions, please stay on the line for an available representative

PLEASE NOTE: You can access Mobile Response by either pressing 0 for emergency and ask for Mobile Response or by pressing 2 to go into the Mobile Response Request Line.

The first person you will speak with at the CSA (Perform Care) is one of their Customer Service Representatives. This individual will ask some basic questions about your family’s demographics (name, address, phone number, your child’s date of birth) as well as questions about your family’s situation, and your child’s needs. The Customer Service Representative is conducting an intake and registering you in the confidential database. Once this basic information is collected the Customer Service Representative will transfer you to a Care Coordinator.

The next person you will speak with is the Care Coordinator who will ask you questions about your family’s situation and your child’s needs. If you need information about mental health services that are available for your child and family, the Care Coordinator can refer you to services in your local community.

If you need additional supports, such as case management with supportive services for your child, a Needs Assessment will be arranged. A Needs Assessment is a series of questions about your child’s behavior and your family’s situation. This information is used by the CSA to determine the type of services that your family will receive. After completing the needs assessment, the Local Needs Provider / Assessor faxes the information to the CSA who then:

  • The Care Coordinator will give you the name and phone number of one or more local mental health providers for you to call and set-up a Needs Assessment. They review it and make a determination on the appropriate level of care your child will receive.
  • If you opt to call the local clinician suggested by Perform Care to schedule a Needs Assessment, he/she will contact the CSA (Perform Care) to get Authorization to conduct the assessment. This Authorization allows the clinician to be paid for the assessment. Once they have this Authorization, the local clinician can come to your home to meet your family and conduct the Needs Assessment.
  • In the case your child is involved with an independently licensed clinician (i.e. LCSW, LPC, PsyD, MD), you have a choice to pursue a needs assessment with your local provider instead of the provider suggested by Perform Care. Your existing provider would need to complete the Clinical Summary Template found on Perform Care’s website. The Clinical Summary Template can be utilized to make referrals for youth who may be eligible to receive Case Management Services through the NJ Children's System of Care. The template is used to determine the intensity of the services the youth and family may need to assist in the management of the youth's emotional and behavioral conditions. If you need additional information regarding the Clinical Summary Template, or referring a child for services, please contact PerformCare at 1-877-652-7624 for assistance.

The types of services that you may receive through Perform Care include:

  • Connection to a local mental health provider for therapeutic behavioral assistance through the CSA (Perform Care) Care Coordination
  • Intensive, team-based Case Management through a local Care Management Organization.
  • Mobile Response provides trained clinicians who can come to your home to help you address the crisis so that it does not escalate to a situation where your child is hospitalized or sent out of your home. In some situations, Mobile Response may also be able to put into place short-term services to address the behavioral and emotional needs of your child. You can then seek longer-term assistance through case management services.

What to Expect:

  • All of these services are designed to provide your family with the supports to maintain your child in the home and in school with community-based resources.
  • Your family will be contacted by the case management agency that will be providing assistance. Please note: this intake/assessment /referral process can take 3 to 5 weeks.
  • Information you provide to the CSA is protected under HIPAA, just like your medical records.

Having problems accessing services?
Contact Perform Care to discuss at 1-877-652-7624