New Jersey § 30:4c-90

§ 30:4c-90.

The Legislature finds and declares that: a. An increasing number of relatives in the State, including grandparents, find themselves

providing care on a long-term basis to children who cannot reside with their parents

due to the parent's incapacity or inability to perform the regular and expected functions

of care and support of the child; b. The State law allows for the appointment of an individual as a kinship legal guardian;

a kinship legal guardian has the same rights, responsibilities , and authority relating to a child as a birth parent, with the exception of consenting

to the adoption of the child or a name change for the child, while the birth parent

retains the obligation to pay child support and the right to court-approved visitation

or parenting time with the child; c. ( Deleted by amendment, P.L.2012, c. 16 ) ; d. The Department of Children and Families has established the Kinship Navigator program, which is a referral service designed

to help kinship caregivers coordinate the various government and community resources

that may be available to them; and e. It is appropriate for the State to ensure that individuals who may be eligible

to become kinship legal guardians are aware of the eligibility requirements for, and

the responsibilities of, kinship legal guardianship, and that both individuals who

may be eligible to become kinship legal guardians and current kinship legal guardians

are aware of the services available to kinship legal guardians in the State.