Contact: Erika Martinez
(505)986-4263
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2014
CYFD Reform Legislation Passes Both Chambers of New Mexico Legislature
Santa Fe, NM – Senate Joint Memorial 3 sponsored by Senator Michael Padilla (D-14-Bernalillo) has passed both chambers of the Legislature. According to Sen. Padilla, the bill is designed to help begin the work of improving the service delivered by the Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD) to New Mexico’s children.
“This reform legislation will address the need to provide accountability and transparency for a department that cannot afford to go without it,” said Sen. Padilla. “The work will encompass foster care and protective services provided by CYFD.”
The legislation will require CYFD to produce a report to the legislature outlining items that include the limit, if any, on the number of foster children that may be placed in a single foster home at one time; the average number of foster children per foster home; the largest number of foster children that have been placed in a single foster home at one time; the average number of foster homes into which foster children are placed during the time those children are in the care of CYFD; behavioral health concerns that have been identified over the past 10 years among foster children; the average number of cases managed monthly, by protective services division social workers for the past 36 months; the average salary of protective services division social workers for the past 36 months; laws, regulations and policies, that prevent the protective services division from meeting its stated mission and goals, among other data. The department is also asked to tell the legislature what information is not available, and their plan to begin collecting the data.
“Our goal with this legislation is to help CYFD improve services, staffing, training and planning for this critical need in our state,” said Sen. Padilla.
Sen. Padilla began working on this legislation in April of 2013, and met with seven advocacy groups related to foster care and protective services across the state. Town halls on the subject were held with community members from across the state to develop the legislation. “I was in foster homes growing up, and I always said that if there was something I could do to improve these services, I would,” said Sen. Padilla.
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