Op-Ed: We must improve foster care system for children put in state’s custody

Letter Submitted by Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino (D-District 12- Bernalillo)
and Senator Steven P. Neville (R-District 2-San Juan)

Among government’s critical responsibilities is protecting children from abuse and neglect. Our goal in this legislative session is to improve the foster care system for children placed in the state’s custody because their parents are unable or unwilling to care for them.

We are co-sponsoring Senate Public Affairs Committee substitute for Senate Bill 115 to help accomplish that. The Senate has unanimously approved the legislation, which will lay a foundation for realigning citizen review boards required by federal law to help oversee the state’s efforts at safeguarding children in foster care.

Let us be clear at the outset. The purpose of the legislation is to ensure the state’s policies and practices effectively serve children.

We’ve heard concerns expressed that proposed changes would silence citizen input into decisions about foster children. Rest assured the legislation will not do that.

In fact, citizen advocates for improving child welfare can more effectively influence state policies if SB115 is approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Susana Martinez.

The legislation is straightforward. It reorganizes an advisory committee to include representatives of the state agency responsible for child protection, the courts, former foster children as well as members of the public.

The state will continue to have citizen review boards. Federal law requires each state to have at least three of those panels, and our proposal certainly allows more than that.

The legislation directs the advisory committee to determine the best mission for these citizen panels, which currently review each foster child’s case and submit reports to the courts. We are proposing to restructure that review system because it is currently not providing meaningful recommendations to those who must make the difficult decisions in abuse and neglect cases, including whether to reunite children and their parents.

Our legislation enjoys bipartisan support and is a good faith effort to preserve independent oversight of the foster care system while providing the courts, the Children, Youth and Families Department and the Legislature with valuable citizen input on how the state can best protect children. We all share that goal.

Senator Ortiz y Pino is a Democrat from Albuquerque and Senator Neville is a Republican from Aztec.