Children's Inter-Agency Coordinating Council

Steve Olsen, Coordinator

The Mercer County C.I.A.C.C. (pronounced like kayak or kai-ak) serves as a mechanism to...

  • advise the County Mental Health Board and the NJ Department of Children and Families in planning for mental health services for children;
  • provide the County with a multidisciplinary forum to review and discuss the system of services for children with special social, emotional and behavioral challenges
  • identify and address barriers to effective service delivery; and
  • seek solutions for the County and make appropriate recommendations on programs and policies that impact children and families

...through a partnership of parents, consumers, government, community-based organizations, and service providers.

The ultimate goal of the CIACC's activities is to oversee behavioral health services available to children and families to ensure that the appropriate and least restrictive level of care is obtained and a comprehensive system of needed services within the County is maintained. This preserves the integrity of treatment and saves public funds through diverting unnecessary out of home placements.??

The Mercer County CIACC was established in 1991 as part of the statewide Youth Incentive Program of the NJ Department of Human Services' Administrative Order 2:25 and N.J.A.C. 30:4C-67 et seq. Initially, the Ocean County Department of Human Services facilitated this initiative under the County Mental Health Board. CIACC has "returned home" to Human Services in 2006, and the launch of the NJ Department of Children and Families that same year has renewed the mission of County CIACCs to lead local endeavors to help plan, implement and monitor the new Department and the system changes it initiates. Over the last 15 years, many changes have taken place in the public system of services for children with special social, emotional and behavioral challenges, yet CIACC remains at the helm of Mercer County's efforts.