Children & Family Services / Teens & Young Adult services
- Monmouth and Ocean Counties
Program Requires a Referral Through DCPP or Family Court*
Program Director: Liza I. DeJesus
LDeJesus@preferredbehavioral.org
about NJ4S COMPASS
COMPASS is a local program serving Ocean and Monmouth Counties under the umbrella of New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S). NJ4S is a new statewide initiative from the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF), and was designed to enhance access for students to prevention and mental health screening services. Programs support public and charter school students and caregivers in Monmouth and Ocean Counties at no cost. NJ4S does not duplicate or replace existing programs and services already being operated in schools or by other organizations. Tiered levels of services are available, but a referral from school personnel is required to access Tier 2 and 3 services. Additional information on the NJ4S program tiers can be found on the NJ4S Monmouth County Programs page.
NJ4S is staffed by prevention consultants and licensed clinicians. Staff will go to schools and community sites, including local libraries, religious institutions, and youth centers, to deliver an array of services virtually or in person. Service selection and delivery utilizes prevention science and evidence-based programming selected by an Advisory Group consisting of community providers, school officials, parents, and youth. NJ4S staff will also serve as connectors and referral sources to other community programs and services for students and their caregivers.
NJ4S COMPASS maintains a collaborative consultation with the nationally recognized prevention science experts Partnership To End Addiction to design and fully implement prevention programs to local Ocean-Monmouth youth, families, and schools that will be based on evidence-based practices and research informed information, while maintaining a person-centered approach to service delivery.Â
The NJ4S prevention focus includes these core service areas:Â
- Bullying and Violence Prevention
- Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
- Substance Use PreventionÂ
- Sexual Health and Teen Pregnancy PreventionÂ
Primary Goals
NJ4S Network
- Create a statewide network of equitable supports for students and their families offered to all New Jersey school districts.
- Recognize the whole family –in addition to the individual student – as the focus of support and to increase academic achievement.
- Provide a standard set of supports and services, with local adaptations, that leverage the best approaches the field has to offer, so that no matter where a New Jersey student lives, they can be assured of accessing a core set of high-quality services and programming.
- Involve communities in design and implementation and integrate programming within the communities.
Reach Out
For additional information on NJ4S services, please call 732-961-4354 or submit the contact us form below.Â