New Report Maps the System, Identifies Barriers, and Charts a Path Forward

TRENTON, NJ — The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute (Quality Institute) today released the Children’s Mental Health Mapping Report, a report commissioned by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) in response to a legislative directive that recognized the growing need for children’s mental health services in the state.

Joining the announcement were Senate President Nick Scutari, Senator Joe Vitale, and Assemblywoman Linda Carter, authors of the legislation directing DCF to commission the report by the Quality Institute.

The report draws on 18 months of research, interviews, and focus groups with more than 230 providers, families, and stakeholders, and extensive analysis of state and national data. It documents where the system is working, where it is falling short, and makes 17 specific recommendations for addressing barriers to care.

The report is designed to be a resource for families, providers, and policymakers. It includes care path narratives that illustrate how families with different circumstances and insurance coverage navigate the system, including where they encounter delays and roadblocks. It includes reference guides and explainers for families, as well as data tables and utilization information for policymakers.

“New Jersey has taken an important step by committing to understand its children’s mental health system in full — not just where it works, but where it struggles,” said Quality Institute President and CEO Linda Schwimmer. “With this report and the support of partners across the state, we now have actionable steps forward.”

“Protecting kids’ mental health is one of my top priorities. Our nation is facing a dire youth mental health crisis, and too many young people are struggling. That is why my Administration is committed to working with our legislative partners and stakeholders to better understand and address the challenges that stand between New Jersey’s children and the care and support that they need to thrive,” said Governor Mikie Sherrill. “We appreciate the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute’s work mapping New Jersey’s system of care, and we thank the Legislature for its continued partnership in these efforts. We look forward to reviewing the report and its recommendations.”

“New Jersey’s children are facing unprecedented mental health challenges, and we need a clear understanding of the system before we can make meaningful improvements,” said Senate President Scutari. “This report provides that roadmap. I thank the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute for conducting this important work and look forward to using these findings to help ensure every child can access the care they need.”

The findings come as New Jersey voters are calling for action on mental health. In a recent NJ Health Matters poll conducted by Rutgers-Eagleton, 86% of registered voters said expanding access to mental health care should be a priority for elected officials, and 80% said the same about expanding mental health services in K-12 schools.

What the Report Found

The report identified six system-wide challenges that prevent children from getting timely, appropriate care. These include:

• Workforce: New Jersey faces critical shortages of child-serving mental health professionals across nearly every discipline. Gaps are most severe in rural areas and settings that serve children with the most complex needs.

• Insurance and Access to Care: Insurance coverage does not consistently translate into actual access to services. Provider directories can be inaccurate, in-network providers may not accept new patients, and families may face long wait times for outpatient therapy and higher levels of care. In a secret shopper study conducted for this report, researchers found that only 15% of the listed mental health providers in one large commercial network could offer an in-person appointment within 2 weeks.
• Family Navigation: Families frequently describe the mental health system as difficult to understand and navigate. Many do not know where to start, who to call, or how to coordinate care across providers, schools, and agencies.

• School-Based Services: Schools are increasingly being asked to fill mental health gaps without the capacity or resources to do it. Mental health supports vary widely across districts, and many schools rely on short-term or crisis-oriented interventions because longer-term community-based treatment is difficult to access.

• High-Acuity Needs: There are major shortages in specialized inpatient hospitalization services and out-of-home treatment beds, particularly for youth with co-occurring intellectual and developmental disabilities, eating disorders, and other complex needs. Too often, children remain in emergency departments or other inappropriate settings while waiting for services. 

• Cross-System Coordination: Children’s mental health in New Jersey is governed across multiple state agencies with overlapping responsibilities. This fragmented structure can lead to siloed planning, inconsistent oversight, and financing and policy decisions that are not aligned.

“Families across New Jersey continue to face barriers when seeking mental health care for their children. This report identifies where those barriers exist and offers practical solutions to address them,” said Senator Joe Vitale, Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “Based on the findings, more must be done to enforce existing laws and ensure accountability and oversight of insurance networks so families can obtain timely mental health care for their children. I appreciate the collaboration that made this work possible and look forward to advancing policies that improve access to care.”

Recommendations

The report also makes 17 specific recommendations. Among the most urgent:

• Establishing a statewide youth mental health data dashboard
• Strengthening state enforcement of insurance network adequacy requirements
• Creating a centralized family resource for families navigating mental health services
• Expanding crisis services outside the emergency department statewide
• Developing a coordinated state strategy for high-acuity pediatric psychiatric care
• Establishing a lead entity to coordinate funding, oversight, and accountability across the children’s mental health system

“Every child deserves access to mental health care, and every family deserves a system that is responsive, connected, and easy to navigate, said Assemblywoman Linda Carter. “While New Jersey has made significant progress in expanding children’s mental health resources, we know that too many families still face barriers when trying to access care for their children. Families are often navigating multiple systems at once – schools, providers, insurers, and State agencies – all while trying to support a child in need. Today’s report is an important step toward identifying those challenges and strengthening the systems families rely on every day. By bringing together research, data, and the experiences of families across New Jersey, this report will help guide future conversations and policy decisions aimed at strengthening children’s mental health care in our state.”

About the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute

The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the safety, quality, and affordability of health care for everyone. Its work spans policy development, quality improvement, and community health initiatives that advance evidence-based policies and champion best practices. With a membership of more than 120 organizations, the Quality Institute serves as a trusted convener working to advance meaningful change.