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New Mexico’s Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) is facing a major workforce shortage, despite making strides in filling hundreds of positions since the summer. With hundreds of jobs still vacant, the agency continues to grapple with recruitment and retention challenges as it works to protect children and support families across the state.
Teresa Casados, Cabinet Secretary for CYFD, shared that while the department has experienced some successes, such as licensing 124 new non-relative foster homes and 324 relative foster homes since January, it still struggles with staffing. The agency has hosted 52 hiring events since July and has successfully hired 207 new employees. However, 250 positions remain unfilled, prompting CYFD to expand recruitment efforts, including looking outside the state and exploring J-1 Visas to bring in international social workers.
“Although we’ve had some success, it’s been a really busy year for CYFD,” Casados said, noting the challenges they face in meeting staffing demands. The department has also made strides in juvenile justice, with a 90% satisfactory completion rate for formal and informal probation clients, and continues to work on expanding behavioral health services.
To retain staff, the department is using one-time funding to provide licensed social workers with a 10% raise through June. They’re also considering extending this temporary raise to other staff and have implemented regional training programs to support new hires. Casados emphasized the importance of building a strong workforce to ensure that new staff aren’t overwhelmed and can manage their caseloads effectively.
CYFD is requesting a 6% budget increase for the upcoming fiscal year, amounting to $412.7 million, to help address ongoing challenges and support the department’s critical work. With over 2,000 children in the agency’s care, Casados stressed the importance of providing the resources and flexibility necessary to improve CYFD and deliver better outcomes for New Mexico’s children.
