Children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or abandonment while in the care of their birth families often suffer from the effects of significant trauma. Their early experiences with loss cause them to struggle to feel safe with a parent or caregiver. As a result, they may behave in ways that appear unpredictable, oppositional, and even extreme.

Adoptive parents or caregivers may find it difficult to manage the behaviors and connect with their children emotionally. Providing supportive care and effective treatment is crucial to help children recover from trauma and encourage healing within adoptive or kinship families.

Adoption and Kinship Legal Guardianship Clinical Services provides in-home, family-focused clinical services to youth and their pre and post-adoptive and kinship families within the DCPP system to increase emotional safety, support attachment, family formation, and to reduce the impact of trauma associated with separation, loss, neglect, and abuse.

Parents and Caregivers

As parents and caregivers are a central part of the AKLG Clinical Services, it is important that they are aware that they will be:

• Directly supported in managing their stressors and celebrating their successes as a parent/caregiver.
• Participate in intake and parent/caregiver-only sessions with the assigned therapist without their child present.
• Participate in family sessions with their child on a regular weekly basis.

Target Population
The program serves children and youth ages 5-21 and their caregivers residing in New Jersey.

Eligibility for services includes:

• Youth who have finalized an adoption or Kinship Legal Guardianship (KLG) through the NJ child welfare system
• Youth who have a select home adoption goal, who are preparing for, matched, or placed with a family that is considering adoption or KLG
• Youth who have a caregiver committed to permanency
• Youth who have a caregiver committed to participating in family-focused services
• Youth who would benefit from receiving an attachment-based therapeutic service to address behavioral and emotional needs

A PROGRAM OF Children's Aid and Family Services

Age Groups	Children Adolescents Adults
Community Services	Family & Support Services Adoption / Foster Care Caregiving Family Support Parenting & Caregiving
Payment Types	DCP&P Contracted Service
Areas Served	State-Wide

Last Updated: 03/30/26