Ocean Partnership for Children

Ocean Partnership for Children (OPC) is a private, non-profit agency in Ocean County employing over 125 staff, contracted with over 100 providers and professional agencies, and providing services and supports to over 1,000 youth and families per month who are in crisis. As the designated Care Management Organization (CMO) in Ocean County and a part of the NJ Children’s System of Care (CSOC), OPC is structured to support youth up to age 21 with emotional, behavioral, developmental, intellectual, substance-use, educational, and/or legal needs.

Founded in 2005, the mission is simply to “enhance to well-being of youth and their families through natural and community supports” and this is accomplished through a collaborative, team-based, and individualized approach of linking youth and families to the resources and services they need within their community.

How Does A Child Begin to Receive Services?

Youth are referred to Care Management Services through the state’s triage agency PerformCare by calling 877-652-7624 to determine eligibility through a needs assessment process, and often come to OPC with complex, layered needs and/or multi-system involvement.  Services are provided to youth in need as zero cost to the families.

Who Receives Service and Where Are They Located?

Youth receiving Care Management services range in age from 3 to 21, with 41% of youth between 6 and 12 years and 40% between 13 and 17.  Care Managers work with youth from every town in Ocean County, as well as youth receiving out of home treatment throughout the state. The top three towns of enrolled youth are Toms River, Brick, and Barnegat, followed closely by Lakewood, Manahawkin, and Jackson.  30% of enrolled youth carry an intellectual or developmental disability, over 17% are involved with DCPP (Child Welfare), 20% have a co-occurring medical diagnosis,  and over 10% are receiving services for a high suicide risk.  

Services Offered:

Care Management / Wraparound Services – Accessed only through PerformCare referral 

Youth are assigned a Care Manager, who helps build a Child & Family Team—people from formal supports (therapists, medical, school) and informal supports (family, friends, community) to work together. Service plans are developed based on strengths, needs, visions, and goals. These plans include anything from

• crisis planning interventions,
• referrals for in-home clinical services,
• linkages to outpatient services,
• linkage to community and recreational involvement,
• and school advocacy and planning. 

OPC offers 24/7 on-call service so families enrolled in Care Management can get help or guidance in times of crisis outside normal hours. 

Care Managers typically work with anywhere from 14-18 families at one time, depending on census.  Care Managers meet with their assigned youth and families, at minimum, once a month in the community or family’s home, have regular contact with all team members (weekly/biweekly), and facilitate Child & Family Team meetings reguarly to assess and adjust the plan. The average length of stay for a youth involved in Care Management services is 16 months.

Connection to Community Resources – Accessed by public

OPC maintains a resource directory, OceanResourceNet.org, which lists supports/services in Ocean County (health, recreation, support groups, etc.). This is a free and public database. 

Peer Groups & Social Supports – Accessed directly through OPC

All groups are open to all individuals that meet the age ranges for each announced cohort 

• “Your Authentic Self” – LGBTQ+ and Allies, peer support for youth
• “Girls Empowerment Group” – for friendship, healthy self-esteem, etc.
• “Connections” – for youth with intellectual & developmental disabilities (I/DD) to reduce isolation, build social skills
• “Game Changers” – social/emotional learning group
• “Mindful Creations” – wellness expression through art and creativity 

IDD Specialist Support – Accessed directly through OPC via website referral 

For families dealing with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, OPC has specialists who help with applying for state programs (like Division of Developmental Disabilities), navigating services, etc.  This is available to both adolescents and adults in Ocean County. 

Community Outreach and Events 

OPC knows it cannot do this work alone – it takes a community to promote wellness. OPC hosts annual advocacy and outreach events, such as the Domestic Violence Vigil and Dare to Care for suicide awareness.   OPC attends community meetings such as CIACC, resource fairs, transition fairs, and college intern recruitment fairs to spread resources and information.  OPC is available for discussions, podcasts, interviews, and trainings as time and staff permits. 

Visit our Support Us page to become a part of this mission that directly impacts the youth and families in our own neighborhoods

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