CYFD opens home for abused or neglected boys

With an increased number of abused or neglected children needing foster homes in New Mexico, the state Children, Youth and Families Department has held 124 events statewide to recruit foster parents this year, but only received 19 inquiries.

The shortage of foster homes often has meant kids who are taken into state custody live temporarily at CYFD offices, but the agency has now contracted with a private company to operate a “multi-service home” for males ages 12 and over. The home opened in Albuquerque last month, said CYFD Secretary Teresa Casados at a legislative meeting Tuesday.

“It’s really important for kids to be in a home environment, not in a community setting,” she said, “but I also think it’s really important for kids not to be in offices and with our staff working overnight with them and being expected to come back in and do their job.”

The latest strategy to move kids out of CYFD offices was unveiled at a Legislative Finance Committee sub-committee meeting in Carlsbad. The hearing also focused on the chronic issues of child maltreatment and turnover of CYFD protective services staff, which Casados said is improving .

LFC staff reported that New Mexico’s high rate of child maltreatment consistently places it among the six states in the U.S. with the worst incidences of repeat maltreatment occurring within 12 months of an initial allegation.

The child maltreatment rate per capita in New Mexico is still higher than the national rate, 12.7 per 1,000 people compared with the national rate of 7.7, according to the latest figures reported by CYFD to the federal government, LFC staff told the sub-committee.

“We all know our kids are not OK,” said state Rep. Gail Armstrong, R- Magdalena. “The writing’s on the wall.”

She added, “The Legislature has said what’s wrong and so has New Mexico and no one is listening, including the governor and CYFD.” She said CYFD has chosen not to implement some of the solutions the legislature has given the agency.

Casados, who is CYFD’s third Cabinet secretary since January 2019, said her agency is pursuing prevention and addressing at-risk families’ needs with the creation of the agency’s Family Services Division. At the same time, she said she hopes to build the workforce and cut caseloads of overworked investigators and staff.

But finding foster homes — particularly that can care for high needs children — is important, she told the legislators. Some children are transferred out of state for care and returned to New Mexico, but “we don’t have the ability to get them in proper placements.”

“Oftentimes these individuals end up in our offices,” Casados said, “and then we’re back to out-of-state placements.”

Currently, CYFD has about 22 abused or neglected children regularly staying in agency offices. The Albuquerque “multi-service home,” she said, has a maximum capacity of 12 youths. And once foster homes are found for them, they will be moved out, she added.

A second home for female children is in the works, Casados said.

She said CYFD will be fine-tuning its foster family recruitment efforts after the 124 events so far this year led to so few inquiries.

“We’re not getting a return on our investment” by sending out staff to those events, she added.

Casados said CYFD has 1,042 foster families who have taken a child within the past year.

“Of the 2,030 kids in state custody, over 50 percent are staying with relatives,” she said.

Retaining foster families is priority, so CYFD hopes to “do a better job of training those foster families” and listening to their needs, Casados told the legislators.

State Sen. Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque, told Casados, “You’re doing a great job ... you’re on the right path.”