The purpose of The NJ 2-1-1 Partnership Database Inclusion Policy is to insure that the 2-1-1 Center databases include the most complete, accurate and up-to-date information available for Community Resource Specialists and for the 2-1-1 callers they serve. Also, as required by the accreditation standards of the Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (AIRS), the following policies are to be uniformly and fairly applied and published so that 2-1-1 Center staff and the public will be aware of the scope and limitations of the databases. It is the intent of the 2-1-1 Partnership to provide a statewide database that is consistent.

The NJ 2-1-1 Partnership uses the “Alliance of Information & Referral Systems Definition of Human Services adopted for the field of I&R” (October 14, 2000), which is as follows:

Activities that help people to become more self-sufficient, sustain independence, strengthen family relationships, support personal and social development and ensure the well-being of individuals, families, groups and communities. Specific human services include ensuring that people have access to adequate food, shelter, clothing, and transportation; financial resources to meet their needs; consumer education and decision support; criminal justice or legal services; education and employment; health and mental health care including substance abuse services; and environmental protection; both routinely and in times of disaster or other emergencies. Human services also facilitate the capabilities of people to care for children or other dependents; ensure that protective services are available to those who are vulnerable; provide for the support of older adults and people with disabilities; offer social, faith-based, and leisure time activities; provide for the cultural enrichment of the community; and ensure that people have the information they need to fully participate in community life. In addition, the NJ 2-1-1 Partnership encourages including services that may help callers only on occasion as well as newly established agencies that are already providing services in the local community.

The NJ 2-1-1 statewide database is built with the following public and agency disclaimers in mind.

Public Disclaimers:

• A listing in the 2-1-1 database does not constitute an endorsement of or liability for any agency program or service.
  
• Agencies providing services to specific populations will be so identified in the service description.

Agency Disclaimer:

• The 2-1-1 Center reserves the right to refuse listing any agency if, in its sole opinion, such a listing is deemed inappropriate based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria set forth herein. The 2-1-1 Center does not guarantee the outcome of any referral to an organization in the database.
  
• The 2-1-1 Center reserves the right to cancel a listing when an agency no longer meets the required criteria.
  
• The 2-1-1 Center reserves the right to delete any agency from the database when requests for updates are not provided.
  
• The 2-1-1 Center will consider the following as a basis for denying inclusion in the database; agencies denying services on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, sexual preference, nationality, creed or whose services are illegal; and when the 2-1-1 Center knows or has reasonable basis to believe services to clients are not in accord with the AIRS standards and commonly accepted professional practices.

Exclusion does not reflect on any organization's contribution to the community. The NJ 2-1-1 Partnership and the 2-1-1 Centers neither guarantee nor make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in the respective databases. The NJ 2-1-1 Partnership and the 2-1-1 Centers disclaim any and all responsibility and liability that may be asserted or claimed resulting from or arising out of reliance upon the information and procedures presented in the databases.

1. Must be included for consistency in sources for the statewide database:
   
   
   • Nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations providing health and human services to residents of New Jersey;
   • Municipal, county, state and federal government offering health and human services to residents of New Jersey;
   • Organizations (churches, service organizations, etc) offering health and human services to the greater community and not confined to their own membership;
   • Hospitals;
   • Offices of state and elected officials that represent the local area;
   • Organizations providing service to the nonprofit sector;
   • Nursing homes, retirement homes and communities, independent and assisted living facilities along with facilities licensed by the Divisiion of Health and Senior Services, specifically Class C boarding homes.
   • Organizations that serve as primary referral points for information on health and human services, such as , child care, senior services, volunteer opportunities, self- help groups, private mental health practitioners, physician referrals etc.
   
   
2. May be included at the discretion of the Regional 2-1-1 Center but not uploaded as a part of the Statewide database:
   
   
   • For-profit agencies offering health and human services to residents of NJ that respond to needs that are unmet* by the nonprofit sector. The inclusion of for-profit organizations also may depend in part on whether those organizations offer services at a reduced rate for lower income individuals and on whether the inclusion of such organizations, in the judgment of the 2-1-1 Center staff, would adversely affect the usability of the database;
   • Private practitioners or individual therapists with appropriate licenses or specialties;
   • Self-help groups not part of a larger agency;
   • Professional organizations;
   • Public and private educational institutions;
   • Social and/or fraternal clubs;
   • Any organization fitting the criteria listed in part 1 or 2 that is paying the local 2-1-1 Center to highlighted in the database in any manner.
   
   
3. Organizations which shall never be included:
   
   
   • Agencies or organizations which misrepresent their services in any way;
   • Unlicensed agencies that operate in an industry where licensing standards exist;
   • Illegal services.