Child welfare reform experts oppose New Mexico lawmakers' plans to establish an independent agency and remove oversight from the executive branch.
Two people who oversee reforms to the state's foster care system argued that the plans would only make things worse. The plan, House Joint Resolution 5, would remove the governor's direct responsibility for the Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD).
Planned Changes for the CYFD
It would place governance of the agency in the hands of an appointed five-member commission. The experts expressed their opposition to HJR 5 on Tuesday in a letter to Nex Mexico CYFD Cabinet Secretary Teresa Casados and Tara Ford, the attorney for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the state's child welfare system known as Kevin S.
SourceNM identified the letter's authors as Judith Meltzer and Kevin Ryan. According to SourceNM, these are the two "co-neutrals" appointed by a federal court to oversee the state's progress in the landmark settlement agreement that resulted from the lawsuit.
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TMike Hart, the attorney who initially sued the state government over its failed foster care system, described the child welfare reform experts as the "most skilled and experienced experts in the nation" "He made his comments during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month.
At the time, Hart told the committee that the two experts had turned around New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, adding that they "know what they're doing." Meltzer and Ryan said it was vital that they share their views on the proposed change based on their experience in several states involving child welfare reform.
Two Experts' Take On the Proposal
Yahoo News reported that they noted that the planned change will not help achieve effective leadership and accountability to improve CYFD's performance on behalf of the state's children and families.
The sponsors of HJR 5 are Re. Eleanor Chavez and House Speaker Javier Martinez, who are both Democratic lawmakers from Albuquerque. The former told the co-neutrals in a written statement that she was not previously aware of their concerns regarding the planned changes.
In addition to HJR 5, the House Government, Elections, and Indian Affairs Committee (HGEIC) unanimously voted to advance House Bill 205. This is a CYFD reform bill that would strengthen care for substance-exposed newborns.
The proposed bill would also move the responsibility for the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) program from CYFD to the Healthcare Authority. It also plans to create a nominating committee to vet VYFD Cabinet Secretary candidates, as per the Los Alamos Daily Post.
