SANTA FE – Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced today that the Children, Youth and Families Department has officially ended the practice of placing children overnight in CYFD offices, eliminating a burden on children in CYFD custody and the staff who have cared for them.

Children and youth previously staying in CYFD offices have been placed in safe and appropriate settings following CYFD’s creation of a new system to ensure safe placements for all children in its care now and into the future.

“Every child in New Mexico deserves a safe place to sleep, a caring adult nearby, and a real shot at a better future,” Governor Lujan Grisham said. “We owed it to these kids to make it happen, and now overnight office stays for children in CYFD’s care are a thing of the past. I’m proud of CYFD’s staff and every partner who stepped up to turn my executive order into reality.”

The governor issued the executive order on Jan. 19 declaring that “no child in CYFD custody shall stay overnight in any CYFD office for any reason” effective March 1. The final day that any child in CYFD’s custody stayed overnight in an office was Feb. 12.

The governor’s order also said children and youth should be placed in settings “designed for care and supervision, including foster homes, kinship care, shelters or transitional facilities.” It said CYFD shall work with “providers, sister agencies and community organizations to secure adequate placements and prevent future office stays.”

CYFD Acting Secretary Valerie Sandoval thanked CYFD staff that supervised children during their overnight office stays and those who helped bring the practice to an end.

“We are deeply grateful to our staff who offered care and comfort to children staying in our offices — they are champions,” Sandoval said. “We also are grateful to the many partners who have stepped up to help place children in safe and appropriate settings. We will continue collaborating with them to ensure that every child we engage with receives the care and services they deserve.”

While CYFD has struggled to reduce office stays, this time will be different for several reasons. The governor’s executive order, along with CYFD’s open-arms invitation to critical partners, has resulted in placements.

During the winter holidays, CYFD had as many as 30 children in overnight office stays.

Working diligently with partners, the department steadily reduced that number in January and February. Most of the children staying in offices were placed in family-based settings or were appropriately reunified with their families, with additional wraparound services.

For those that needed a higher level of care—including some with high emotional, behavioral and medical needs—the department identified appropriate treatment programs and additional services. For the few youths placed in congregate settings, the department continues working daily to identify more suitable placement options.

CYFD established a cross-agency steering committee, led by Chief Operating Officer Brenda Donald, including Protective Services, Behavioral Health, Juvenile Justice, Family Services and Fostering Connections. Using the department’s Individualized Planning Process (IPP) facilitators, CYFD convened meetings including the youth themselves, family members, guardian ad litems and youth attorneys, sister agencies (HCA and DOH), providers, care coordinators and Presbyterian Health Services. These intensive meetings resulted in finding safe, stable and appropriate placements, services and supports for children.

Providers have knocked at CYFD’s door to offer creative solutions, to engage differently and help fill gaps in the placement array. Nearly a dozen meetings with providers have resulted in solutions, including:

• sub-acute units and day programs to provide step-down placements
• a stabilization and assessment center
• a New Mexico-based residential treatment center
• and expanded developmental disability services

Now, when a child is placed in a family or foster home, a group home, or a shelter, the work is not done and will not stop. CYFD will check in regularly to assess emerging needs, concerns, services, and status. We want everyone to be safe, to succeed and to thrive.

CYFD also is sharply focused on recruiting and retaining more foster parents, expanding Foster Care+ and strengthening its treatment foster care provider network.