Cooperative Agreement 90CA1903

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded the Executive Office of the State of New Jersey $599,970 in a cooperative agreement on September 30, 2026, under the Child Abuse and Neglect Discretionary Activities program (CFDA 93.670) to design, validate, pilot, and evaluate a predictive analytics decision-support tool for child protective services casework.

The New Jersey Department of Children and Families will develop the tool to support investigation caseworkers and supervisors in deciding whether to close a family's case following a child protective services investigation or determine that additional support is warranted. The tool integrates predictive analytics with existing child welfare administrative data, safety and risk assessments, policy, frontline staff professional judgment, and existing workflows. The project employs a phased approach including assessment and preparation, model development and validation, pilot testing, and evaluation, guided by stakeholder input throughout. The department will establish a framework for data quality, monitoring and evaluation, transparency, and workforce support to ensure appropriate tool use, performance, and sustainability.

Over half of CPS reports involve families with prior involvement with the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, with more than one in four involving families whose cases closed within the past year. The tool aims to strengthen earlier identification of families who may need additional support before concerns escalate to subsequent maltreatment findings or out-of-home placement.

The period of performance runs through September 29, 2029. Work is performed in New Jersey.