Establishes Statewide program to provide treatment services for children exposed to domestic violence.

A5103

ASSEMBLY, No.
5103

STATE OF
NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 18, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� STERLEY S. STANLEY

District 18 (Middlesex)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Statewide
program to provide treatment services for children exposed to domestic
violence.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning domestic violence and supplementing Title 30
of New Jersey Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

����� 1.�� a.�
The Department of Children and Families shall establish and maintain a
Statewide evidence-based program to provide treatment services for children and
their family members exposed to domestic violence.

����� b.�� The
department shall provide grants to providers for developing and implementing
therapeutic treatment, counseling,

and
supportive services to those children and their family members who have been
exposed to domestic violence.

����� c.�� The
department shall assign staff to develop strategies for assisting providers in
implementing this program throughout the State.� The department shall monitor
the implementation of the program by requiring participating organizations to
maintain accurate records concerning the levels of service, referral activity,
and overall program management.

���� 2.��� The department shall collect
and maintain data on the program established and maintained by the department
pursuant to section 1 of this act and provide an annual report to the Governor
and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1),
including information on the number of counties or municipalities that have
implemented the program and the number of participants in the program.� The
report shall also include information on the effectiveness of the program.

���� 3.��� The Department of
Children and Families
may
adopt,
pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et
seq.), such rules and regulations as may be necessary to effectuate the
provisions of this act.

���� 4.��� There shall be
appropriated from the General Fund such funds as are necessary to implement the
provisions and to effectuate the purposes of this act as shall be included in
any general or supplemental appropriation act.

���� 5.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

����� This bill requires the Department of Children and
Families (�DCF�) to establish and maintain a Statewide therapeutic treatment
program for the children and families of domestic violence victims.� The bill
requires that the department establish and maintain a Statewide evidence-based
program to provide treatment services for children and their family members
exposed to domestic violence.

����� The bill provides that DCF shall provide grants to
providers for developing and implementing therapeutic treatment, counseling,
and supportive services to those children and their family members who have
been exposed to domestic violence.

����� The bill further provides that DCF will collect and
maintain data on the program established by this bill and provide a report to
the Governor and Legislature which would include (1) information on the number
of counties or municipalities that have implemented the program; (2) the number
of participants in the program; and (3) information on the effectiveness of the
program.

����� The bill requires DCF to assign staff to develop
strategies for assisting the providers in implementing the program throughout
the State.� DCF would also monitor the implementation of the program by
requiring the participating organizations to maintain accurate records
concerning the levels of service, referral activity, and overall program
management.

����� The bill provides that there would be appropriated
from the General Fund such funds as are necessary to implement the provisions
and to effectuate the purposes of the bill as shall be included in any general
or supplemental appropriation act.

���� The bill embodies, in part, recommendation 8 of the
Report of the Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on Domestic Violence issued June
2016.