Members named to Child Protective Services Task Force

The Santa Fe New Mexican - 10/16/2019

Oct. 16--The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department announced Tuesday it has appointed all 25 members of a new panel tasked with examining the state's child welfare system and recommending improvements. This comes two weeks after a Republican lawmaker criticized the agency for what she called slow progress in convening the Child Protective Services Task Force.

The group's first meeting will be held in November.

The task force, created through House Joint Memorial 10 in the 2019 legislative session, is required to give a report to the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee in October 2020.

Its members include Children's Cabinet Director Mariana Padilla, Aging and Long-Term Services Cabinet Secretary Katrina Hotrum-Lopez and the executive directors of several nonprofits, such as Pegasus Legal Services for Children, New Mexico Kids Matter and the New Mexico Child Advocacy Network. The task force also includes foster parents, current and former agency employees and four young adults who spent time in the foster care system.

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Before Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham took office in January, her transition team released a report citing systemic issues in the department, such as preventable child deaths and a large backlog of child welfare cases.

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