The latest headline is a little girl who was not allowed on an Albuquerque city bus with her father because he was too drunk. Later the father showed up in the city shelter, having forgotten where he left her. Fortunately she was found safe the next day.<\/p>\n
Why on earth did the state allow this child to be left with her parents?\u00a0 Their irresponsible behavior had already come to the attention of the Children, Youth and Families Department.\u00a0 Wasn\u2019t that enough?<\/p>\n
New Mexicans have been raising that question for years.\u00a0 We remember the tragedies of Omaree Varela and other children who were brutalized, possibly for years, before they were killed, or eventually removed, who had been left with their parents after previous investigations by CYFD.<\/p>\n
The idea of leaving the child in the custody of a violent or incompetent parent is outrageous to many of us. But it\u2019s been found that taking the child away from the parents can be worse. It\u2019s considered one of the most traumatic things that can happen to a child. Keeping families together to the extent possible is a priority.<\/p>\n
This is not just a theory. It\u2019s a policy.\u00a0 It does not originate with CYFD.\u00a0 It comes from the federal government, which is usually not mentioned when these incidents are reported. Federal law says state agencies are required to make reasonable efforts to keep children with their parents.<\/p>\n
A friend of mine, retired former head of a social services agency, says there\u2019s another component to that policy. The family should receive supervision and services until the parents\u2019 bad habits have been corrected. The theory is, says my friend, \u201cwhatever it takes for as long as it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n
But we never allocate enough money and we don\u2019t have enough professionals to finish the job of curing lifelong alcoholism or drug addiction or whatever the problem is. \u00a0We also don\u2019t have enough safe places to put all those children if they were removed from their parents.<\/p>\n
According to New Mexico Child First Network, there are 2,000 – 2,600 children in foster care in New Mexico at any time.\u00a0 Recent statistics show there were 850 foster families in 2017. Is that enough?\u00a0 My expert friend says no.<\/p>\n
How well the foster parents took care of those kids is not measured.\u00a0 US Health and Human Services Department statistics showed in New Mexico, only one quarter of one percent were maltreated in foster care.\u00a0 Let\u2019s hope that\u2019s accurate.<\/p>\n
But my friend says most children who spent significant time in foster care will end up in prison, homeless or dead. That\u2019s not much of an endorsement of this system.<\/p>\n
In recent years the emphasis has been, if a child must be removed, find relatives to be the foster parents.\u00a0 And consider the removal temporary.<\/p>\n
Foster parents (now renamed \u201cresource parents\u201d to emphasize that the role is temporary) are paid by the state.\u00a0 In 2021 there was an increase in the monthly stipend, but the payment is still well below the the real cost of a child. The basic rate \u2013 that is, for a child with no special challenges — is $20.91 per day for the youngest and $22.95 for the oldest.<\/p>\n
The increase is an improvement but not a solution.<\/p>\n
New Mexico is pinning its future on the new state Early Childhood Education and Care Department and the influx of new money, approved by the voters in November, from the Land Grant Permanent Fund. The money still has to be approved by Congress.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, it seems every time we talk about CYFD, it\u2019s about another failure. I wonder what it feels like to work for a government agency that is doomed to so much heartbreak.<\/p>\n
Triple Spaced Again, \u00a9 New Mexico News Services 2022<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The latest headline is a little girl who was not allowed on an Albuquerque city bus with her father because he was too drunk. Later the father showed up in the city shelter, having forgotten where he left her. Fortunately … Continue reading