Albuquerque, NM – Today, Governor Susana Martinez signed legislation to help recruit and retain child abuse workers and highlighted significant CYFD reforms that are funded in this year's budget bill. The legislation she signed will help pay off a portion of student debt for eligible state caseworkers, building on recent pay raises in an effort to increase the amount of professionals who serve on the front lines in our battle against child abuse.
"Protecting our children should always be our number one priority. And despite the unprecedented partisan gridlock this legislative session — including on some child abuse legislation — we were able to pass meaningful legislation that will help improve the well-being of our children," Governor Martinez said. "We have focused on supporting CYFD caseworkers and increasing their pay, and this loan repayment program will help recruit and retain even more of our caseworkers. Adding to this, many of our reforms were funded in the budget bill, so we will continue to build on successful programs like family support workers and child advocacy centers."
Governor Martinez added, "We still have important work to do, but we continue to take important steps toward improving the lives of our children and families."
HB 341, sponsored by Rep. Jimmie Hall (R-Albuquerque), establishes a loan repayment program for eligible CYFD caseworkers, as well as staff who work with youth in the juvenile justice division. With the passage of this legislation and the availability of funding in future fiscal years, this bill provides targeted student loan repayment to eligible CYFD caseworkers over a minimum five-year period as long as that caseworker stays with CYFD during that period.
The Governor also secured other critical child abuse reforms in the state budget, expanding on reforms she announced a year ago. These include funding to create new child advocacy centers, which put police and child abuse investigators under the same roof; more money to expand family support workers who regularly check in with families that have frequent interactions with CYFD; and police officers will now be able to access information from CYFD that will allow them to know ahead of time whether there is a history of abuse and violence when they respond to a home call. The overall CYFD budget increased this year by more than $8 million, resulting in the largest budget ever for CYFD.
The loan repayment legislation is the latest in a series of proposals from Governor Martinez to further support, recruit and retain CYFD caseworkers. These include raising the average caseworker’s pay at CYFD by 10 percent, increasing pay for CYFD investigators, reforming the way all child welfare caseworkers are hired and promoted, offering an extra incentive for those willing to serve in rural communities and raising the minimum salary for newly hired caseworkers.
"Our caseworkers do one of the toughest jobs around," Governor Martinez said. "Caseworkers put in long hours, often in the middle of the night, and make difficult judgment calls every day to keep children safe. This loan repayment program will help recruit and retain the dedicated professionals who are on the front lines in our fight against child abuse in New Mexico."