Senate confirms third CYFD secretary since 2019

The state Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm a former top aide to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to lead a state Children, Youth and Families Department plagued by chronic staff shortages, a 2,000-case backlog and an increasing number of abused and neglected children in New Mexico.

Teresa Casados worked in the administration of Gov. Bill Richardson and as director of senior services for Santa Fe County before joining Lujan Grisham’s staff as a chief operating officer. She is the third CYFD secretary since 2019.

She has no direct training in the child welfare field but was praised on Wednesday for her roles in helping the state during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the devastating Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire in northern New Mexico.

Casados was appointed by the Democratic-controlled Senate on a 32-8 vote, along party lines. But many of the eight Republican senators who voted against her still wished her success in the job.

“I really hope things will change; I really hope that you’re the right answer. But my hope was crushed with the last secretary,” said Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho.

Casados had served as interim secretary since May, while the state conducted a nationwide search for a new Cabinet secretary after the departure of retired state Supreme Court Justice Barbara Vigil, who spent nearly 18 months on the job.

No outside candidates emerged.

Lauded for her knowledge of the inner workings of state government, her energy and openness and her operational and managerial skills, Casados has a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Phoenix.

Casados’s family and multiple other state government department heads spoke in her favor during her hourslong hearing before the Senate Rules Committee earlier Wednesday.

“I don’t believe it’s a failing agency,” she said. “We are making some change. It may not be as noticeable to the outside world. We’re building back bigger and stronger.”

Casados became emotional at the start of the Rules Committee hearing when she said, “I’m 100% committed to the staff. It’s all about supporting them where they are today.”

Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque, voted “no” on her appointment, but earlier at the Rules hearing, he told her, “God bless you for taking this job. It’s the most thankless job in state government.”

Moores aimed his criticism at Lujan Grisham for not proposing any legislation to reform CYFD.

“It seems like CYFD is burning,” Moores said, “and she’s playing the fiddle.”

Casados responded that she didn’t believe CYFD’s current problems were going “unnoticed” by the governor. “There’s a lot of work we can do right now at CYFD that doesn’t require legislation.”

Casados said her agency is looking at having contractors, maybe CYFD retirees, help tackle a 2,000-case backlog in child abuse and neglect referrals. The backlog recently became public with the issuance of a seven-page letter Jan. 26 from two national child welfare experts who said the agency is facing an urgent child safety crisis that also affects CYFD staff.

She also mentioned training foster parents to help them better deal with troubled youth placed in their care. She added that her agency is currently licensing an outside provider, and has a building in mind, to temporarily house youth that are now staying in several CYFD offices around the state because there’s no other suitable placement.

Casados said the vacancy rate at CYFD is the lowest it has been since 2022, at 20%.

Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, said he supported Casados’ appointment in part because she is “committed to working toward making the department more transparent in supporting changes in the confidentiality provisions in the Children’s Code that for too long have been used to (protect) the department.”

Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, said in the discussion before the Senate vote that what CYFD “needs is a leader who can change things, and I’ve seen that (with Casados). I think you have that capacity.

“Don’t lose the fire; don’t become complacent,” he added.

Several legislators praised Casados for agreeing to a change in policy to allow children in CYFD custody to retain any federal benefits they are due, such as Social Security disability payments, instead of CYFD collecting the funds.

In response to questions from Sen. Gregory Baca, R-Belen, Casados cited her personal experience raising children, noting she was a “teen mom.”

“What I lack in actual training and experience,” she said, “I make up for just in the work I’ve done and the struggles I’ve had.”

Baca asked about a corrective action plan CYFD entered into as part of a settlement of a federal lawsuit aimed at improving conditions for children in CYFD custody. A recent report from two experts monitoring the state’s compliance found CYFD over the past four months has “been weak in what they’ve done,” said Baca, who is Senate minority floor leader.

The monitors concluded that CYFD needs to act like the current problems are an urgent crisis that need extraordinary remedies, such as hiring retirees to help with crushing caseloads.

“Is it crisis mode at CYFD right now?” Baca asked Casados.

“There is a crisis in the work we need to do, but operating in crisis mode will not get us the results we need,” Casados replied.

Baca asked again, “Is there a crisis at CYFD?” to which Casados said, “Yes, there is a crisis across the state.”

“Thank you for your frankness,” Baca said.