Substitute Care Advisory Council (Council)
The purpose of the Council is to provide a permanent system for independent and objective monitoring of children placed in the custody of the NM Children, Youth & Families Department (CYFD) by examining the policies, procedures and practices of CYFD, and where appropriate, specific cases to evaluate the extent to which CYFD is effectively discharging its child protection responsibilities. Council Responsibilities, Meetings, Annual Reports, Advisory Committee & Council Staff
What is Substitute Care?
The legal definition of substitute care ‘refers to any kind of custodial or residential care for a child that is ordered or otherwise sanctioned by the court, and in which a child does not continue to live with either of the birth parents’.
Featured Forums
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
New Mexico By the Numbers
New Mexico ranks 50th in the nation for overall child well-being.
Legal
A child in substitute care is a civil matter.
Child Trauma
Trauma has both immediate and long-term effects on children.
Prevention of Child Maltreatment
Child maltreatment is preventable.
What’s Up? SB 242!
In its FY 20 Annual Report the Council identified statutory changes needed to improve the functionality of the Council.
In the FY 21 NM Legislative Session, SB 242. a bipartisan bill identified by CYFD as one of their agency bills unanimously passed both the House and the Senate.
On April 9, 2021, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham chose to veto SB 242, a bill that would provide for transparency and accountability of one of her largest agencies, the agency to protect New Mexico’s most vulnerable children and youth.
