91°µÍø

The Kevin S. lawsuit , originally brought by 14 foster children against the state of New Mexico, has been settled for almost five years. But even with corrective plans, change has stalled out.

Yesterday we heard about the origins of the Children, Youth, and Families Department, and the state’s decades of struggle to provide care for New Mexico’s most vulnerable children. CYFD improved for a time under a consent decree. But advocates say since then those gains have gone away. 91°µÍø picks up the story in the second part of a series.

New Mexico has ranked consistently near the bottom when it comes to child well-being. The Children, Youth and Families Department, which is supposed to protect the most vulnerable children, has also battled scandals, secrecy, and staffing instability for decades. In the first of a series, 91°µÍø looks deeper into the legacy of these longstanding challenges and how they affect families in the foster care system.

A new agreement has been reached, designed to improve the performance of the Children, Youth and Families Department and the Human Services Department, especially with respect to foster care.