It is part of the Department of Children and Families.
From 1996 through 2012, it was called Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS)[DYE-fuss].
[1] Before 1996 It was called Child Protection Services.
Its stated mission is to "ensure the safety, permanency and well-being of children and to support families."
The division is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect and, when needed, arranging for the child's protection...[2] In 2004 New Jersey's Child Advocate, Kevin Ryan called DYFS a "systematic failure" and "a debilitated agency that was in need of a complete overhaul.