Child Welfare Paper
When you hear the topic Child Welfare what are your first thoughts that come to mind? Child Welfare is a very broad topic; everyone has their own feelings, experiences, and opinions on the subject. According to Child Welfare Information Gateway (2012) child welfare is “a continuum of services designed to ensure that children are safe and that families have the necessary support to care for their children successfully.” Sadly in the state of New Mexico child welfare is a very well-known subject. Recent opinion polls have ranked New Mexico as dead last when it comes to the topic of child welfare (Nikolewski, 2013). For many, the subject is very touchy. It is a very heart wrenching topic being the fact that it deals with …show more content…
But no matter how terrible, it is a very important issue that must be dealt with especially in the state of New Mexico.
Impact of Child Welfare in NM In the state of New Mexico we have CYFD which is the children, youth and families department. The mission of CYFD is to serve and support children and families and watch over youth in a responsive, community-based system of care that is client-centered, family-focused, and cultural way. They believe in the strengths and resiliency of families and advocate for them to enhance their safety and well-being (CYFD, 2014). CYFD has had a huge impact in New Mexico. CYFD’s main services are Early Childhood Services, Protective Services, and Juvenile Justice Services. They also provide some additional services such as behavioral health and licensing and certification (CYFD, 2014). In early childhood services they offer child development, home visiting, child care services, pre-k, and family nutrition. Some of these programs have made a huge impact on many families in New Mexico. For example, growing …show more content…
New Mexico was ranked dead last at #50 when it comes to the topic of child welfare (Nikolewski, 2013). Most of New Mexico is a minority multicultural state. 67% of children in New Mexico are racial minorities. Currently 51% of children are Hispanic, 12% of children are Native American, 2% of children are African American, and 2% of children are Asian (NM Voices For Children, 2014). You may be wondering what this has to do with child welfare; well children who are racial minorities tend not to fare as well due to the numerous disparities they face. According to the Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis (2011) 1,859 children in New Mexico were in placement at the end of 2011. 662 of those children were between the ages of 6 and 12. The rest were between 1 and 5 and 13 and 21 (Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis, 2011). On average New Mexico children spend an average of 17.9 months in placement (Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis, 2011). In 2011 the majority of children in placement were Hispanic with a high number of 1,051 (Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis, 2011). Next highest was American Indian/Alaskan Natives with 518 children. Other minorities high in number were African Americans and Asians (Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis, 2011). Some other shocking statistics I was able to find was the number of times foster children were placed in New Mexico. In
When you hear the topic Child Welfare what are your first thoughts that come to mind? Child Welfare is a very broad topic; everyone has their own feelings, experiences, and opinions on the subject. According to Child Welfare Information Gateway (2012) child welfare is “a continuum of services designed to ensure that children are safe and that families have the necessary support to care for their children successfully.” Sadly in the state of New Mexico child welfare is a very well-known subject. Recent opinion polls have ranked New Mexico as dead last when it comes to the topic of child welfare (Nikolewski, 2013). For many, the subject is very touchy. It is a very heart wrenching topic being the fact that it deals with …show more content…
But no matter how terrible, it is a very important issue that must be dealt with especially in the state of New Mexico.
Impact of Child Welfare in NM In the state of New Mexico we have CYFD which is the children, youth and families department. The mission of CYFD is to serve and support children and families and watch over youth in a responsive, community-based system of care that is client-centered, family-focused, and cultural way. They believe in the strengths and resiliency of families and advocate for them to enhance their safety and well-being (CYFD, 2014). CYFD has had a huge impact in New Mexico. CYFD’s main services are Early Childhood Services, Protective Services, and Juvenile Justice Services. They also provide some additional services such as behavioral health and licensing and certification (CYFD, 2014). In early childhood services they offer child development, home visiting, child care services, pre-k, and family nutrition. Some of these programs have made a huge impact on many families in New Mexico. For example, growing …show more content…
New Mexico was ranked dead last at #50 when it comes to the topic of child welfare (Nikolewski, 2013). Most of New Mexico is a minority multicultural state. 67% of children in New Mexico are racial minorities. Currently 51% of children are Hispanic, 12% of children are Native American, 2% of children are African American, and 2% of children are Asian (NM Voices For Children, 2014). You may be wondering what this has to do with child welfare; well children who are racial minorities tend not to fare as well due to the numerous disparities they face. According to the Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis (2011) 1,859 children in New Mexico were in placement at the end of 2011. 662 of those children were between the ages of 6 and 12. The rest were between 1 and 5 and 13 and 21 (Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis, 2011). On average New Mexico children spend an average of 17.9 months in placement (Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis, 2011). In 2011 the majority of children in placement were Hispanic with a high number of 1,051 (Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis, 2011). Next highest was American Indian/Alaskan Natives with 518 children. Other minorities high in number were African Americans and Asians (Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis, 2011). Some other shocking statistics I was able to find was the number of times foster children were placed in New Mexico. In