Children in New Mexico who have entered the foster care system are finding they often have nowhere to go. At any given time there are between in the state and with a shortage of foster homes and licensed residential treatment centers, foster youth are staying in offices and shelters that don鈥檛 have the resources necessary to care for them.
This comes after the Children, Youth, and Families Department promised in a lawsuit to stop placing kids in youth shelters, offices and other places that don鈥檛 provide mental health care. However, a found that not only are foster youth still being placed in shelters but those shelters often are not told much about the kids they鈥檙e taking in and do not have the capacity to provide needed health and mental health care. It鈥檚 reported that between January 2019 and June 2022 over 1,100 emergency calls were made by shelters who were housing foster kids. Many fosters are still lacking mental health care and stable living arrangements.
This reflects a evaluating the state鈥檚 adherence to the Kevin S. lawsuit settlement. It shows neither the Human Services Department nor the Children, Youth, and Families Department had met the Performance Standard set out by the settlement and have fallen short on their goals.recognizes changes have been slow and lasting change will take time.
On this week鈥檚 Let鈥檚 Talk New Mexico, we鈥檒l take a look at the current standing of our child welfare system and what it will take to ensure foster youth are finding supportive placements, while working to comply with the Kevin S. lawsuit. And we want to hear from you! Have you been in the foster care system? What was that experience like? Are you, or have you considered becoming a foster parent? Share your experience by emailing us at LetsTalk@kunm.org or call in live during the show at 505-277-5866.
Guests:
- George Davis, CYFD鈥檚 former Chief Psychiatrist, now child advocate
- Maralyn Beck, Founder and Executive Director,
- Ed Williams, reporter,
- Alison Endicott-Qui帽ones, Legal Director, .
- , leader working in the local, state and national child welfare community and former foster kid
Related reading:
- "," Albuquerque Journal
- "," CYFD
- Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's February 2023 order to reorganize CYFD, "."
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and 九色网 listeners.
