Date of Conferral
6-12-2025
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Public Policy and Administration
Advisor
Gregory Campbell
Abstract
Despite the existence of New Jersey Department of Children and Family (NJDCF) policy guidelines, it remained unclear whether New Jersey superior courts consistently applied these principles and guidelines in Department of Child Protection and Permanency (CP&P) child abuse cases. Limited research had been conducted to examine how courts interpreted and adhered to these policies in legal rulings, leaving a gap in understanding how NJDCF principles influenced judicial decision-making. This gap in the literature made it difficult to assess whether policy guidelines effectively shaped court outcomes in ways that supported child protection and welfare. Child protective advocate attitudes and opinions concerning instances of policy implementation and concerns over alleged errors of policy implementation resonated with the policy feedback theory. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative case study was to examine the efficacy of the 12 NJDCF policy guidelines in CP&P child abuse among 40 randomly selected Superior court cases from 2021 to 2024. The results confirmed that male abusers were consistent with female victims of sexual abuse and physical abuse of children under 6 years of age. My study’s findings determined there was efficacy of child protection policies that were consistently applied toward the best interest of the child. Even when there were child advocacy actor missteps, the reversals measured the errors and assigned NJDCF CP&P principles and guidelines that justified the action or remand. The social change implication denoted that child protection advocates and educators develop more effective interventions that comply with child protective policies.
Recommended Citation
COLLINS, NERISSA G., "Efficacy of New Jersey's Child Protection Policy Among Local Superior Courts" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 17941.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/17941
