Supporting Families Who Step Up: New Kinship Navigator Program in Essex County
Children’s Aid and Family Services has recently begun providing support to families formed through kinship in Essex County. The Kinship Navigator Program provides enhanced case management services to relatives and close family friends who step in to care for children when parents are unable to do so.
These caregivers — often grandparents, aunts, uncles, adult siblings, or trusted family friends — take on enormous responsibility, frequently with little preparation and limited resources. Many grandparents live on fixed incomes and suddenly find themselves raising a young child again. The Kinship Navigator Program connects families to practical supports such as bedroom furniture, diapers, and rental assistance.
The program also offers guidance and technical support for caregivers interested in pursuing Kinship Legal Guardianship, a service that assists caregivers in making a legal commitment to the child in their care.
“The Kinship Navigator Program helps ensure children can remain safely with people they know and trust, while making sure caregivers are not navigating this journey alone,” says Shavonda E. Sumter, President and CEO. “We are honored that Children’s Aid and Family Services has been entrusted with this vital work.”
Launched in November 2025, the program is already serving families and has a goal of reaching 450 families across Essex County. Families access the program by calling 211, the KNP Intake Specialist at 201-740-8844 or emailing kinship@cafsnj.org.
IMPACT NEWSLETTER – March 2026
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