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Lawmakers press CYFD data and CASA leaders on foster placements, guardianship and permanency outcomes
Summary
Committee members described placement shortages, instances of children staying in office spaces, uneven CASA coverage across counties, and concerns about post-adoption Medicaid; staff and CASA representatives agreed to provide county-level CASA figures and placement inventories.
Several committee members urged the Legislative Finance Committee and CYFD to provide more granular data on placements, CASA coverage and the practical effects of permanency timelines.
Representatives recounted occasions when children had been temporarily housed in office space because foster beds were unavailable and asked whether group homes that once existed were closed without alternatives. LFC staff and CYFD said group homes are licensed independently and closures can reflect licensing or safety issues; they reiterated the state's goal to prioritize family or relative placements and to recruit additional resource families in line with Kevin S. settlement obligations.
Megan Gallagos, executive director for CASA of Lee County and a board member of the New Mexico CASA Association, told the committee coverage varies widely: some counties (Lee County, Chavez County, Santa Fe County cited on the record) have high CASA coverage, while others (Bernalillo County cited) may have less than 20% of eligible children assigned a CASA. "CASA programs are stand-alone nonprofit entities," Gallagos said. She described funding that combines AOC contracts, United Way, county and city contributions and fundraising; several members asked whether a more equitable funding formula is possible.
Members also raised concerns about ad hoc guardianship placements that do not appear in CYFD custody records and about how emergency relative placements are handled. CYFD staff said they conduct an initial relative assessment, background checks and homewalks and can place a child with kin for a night while licensing proceeds (agencies have up to 30 days to license relatives for ongoing placement).
On permanency and adoption, staff said reunification is the most common permanency outcome, accounting for roughly half of exits in the period shown on slides. Staff also noted adoption assistance payments and Medicaid eligibility historically extend for adopted children (staff said adopted children are eligible for Medicaid until age 18 and for aged-out children until 21; a committee member referenced instances where local adoption-related Medicaid transitions created practical challenges).
Members asked for follow-up: county-level CASA counts, placement-bed inventories, how often children experience short stays in office settings, and clarification on the prevalence of nonlicensed guardianship placements. CYFD and LFC staff agreed to return with more detailed answers and case-level follow-ups where appropriate.
