The Children, Youth, and Families Department is embroiled in scandal that has left substantial frustration, especially as lawmakers questioned the department’s efficacy in the last legislative session. On Wednesday Legislators heard updates on child maltreatment and workforce shortages and possible solutions to address these longstanding challenges.
New Mexico has a high rate of child maltreatment and the repeat of that abuse within a year of the initial instance and that’s due to several factors.
Rachel Mercer-Garcia, principal analyst with the Legislative Finance Committee, said adults in New Mexico have a high rate of adverse childhood experiences compared to the rest of the nation.
"Those are risk factors that likely contribute and underlie the data you see in front of you when it comes to child maltreatment," said Mercer-Garcia.
Those experiences range from encountering violence, a household with mental health difficulties, or having a parent in prison.
Mercer-Garcia said the state also puts a substantial amount of money into foster care compared to putting resources into the homes of at-risk families to help them.
New Mexico, like the rest of the nation, is also experiencing high turnover among its protective service workers. Mercer-Garcia said CYFD still has vacancy rates of over 30%.
"While the agency has made some efforts to fill roles particularly over the last year, that high turnover rate really inhibits net progress," Mercer-Garcia said.
She told lawmakers that by making investments in the front end of the system, it will not only be less costly to the state but also avoid causing children the additional trauma of being placed in foster care.
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