A New Feature: "Other Voices" Offers A Variety Of Insightful New Mexican Opinion On The Issues Of The Day

Today we kick off our "Other Voices" feature where we present thoughts and opinions from a wide variety of New Mexicans. If you'd like to take part email us your views or that of your organization on a topic of your choice at newsguy@yahoo.com. The word limit is 625 and allows a deeper look at issues than our traditional reader comments.

This week has been another somber one for the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD). Independent oversight condemned how the agency is run, declaring it in a "state of chaos. That leads us to Other Voices and attorney and child welfare law specialist Marron Lee. She offers this commentary that first ran in the ABQ paper: 

Regarding the $1.5 million in emergency funding requested by the Office of Family Representation and Advocacy--OFRA-- to the New Mexico Board of Finance, New Mexico taxpayers should take issue with the use of the words “emergency funding,” and demand close scrutiny of New Mexico’s child welfare data. 

New Mexico’s child abuse and neglect system is our state’s largest closed organization and consequently information is easily skewed. This “ask” of the Board of Finance is an end-run strategy that is only successful when crucial information is withheld. 

In 23 years, many Bernalillo County families have had children removed from their homes by the Children, Youth and Families Department due to ongoing abuse or neglect. From 2018 to present, there has been a marked decrease in CYFD filings in Bernalillo County alone. 

This decrease is driven by CYFD, the courts, commissioners and other influential individuals embracing policies that purposefully leave vulnerable children in dangerous situations to boost “an equitable society of strong families.”  

This practice of diminishing child safety in the name of family unity creates the horrific child abuse and deaths that make headlines, while many other dangers, harm and neglect are legally hidden from view. Decision-makers should question the purported OFRA “uptick.” … 

The Board of Finance should deny the request and ask OFRA if they overtly misled the public as to the true aggregate needs of the abused and neglected children in our state. Furthermore, the public should demand that the state Legislature pass and the governor sign legislation that provides transparency and true oversight of our whole child welfare system. 

SOLUTIONS 

The NM Child First Network reacted to the report that CYFD is getting worse and is in chaos by again urging these solutions:

--Codify and support a trauma-responsive system of care. 

--Create an independent, outside and objective office of the Child Advocate or Ombudsman office (like 45 other states already have). 

--Revise the Confidentiality Clause in the Children's Code to include: "The public release of department information shall be construed as openly as possible under federal and state law." 

--Support, empower and professionalize the workforce. 

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023