Baby’s death deserves outside investigation

THE NEW CYFD secretary is doing the right thing by having an outside entity investigate the Valencia County incident in which a month-old child died from abuse, allegedly at the hands of his mother. For much too long, CYFD has been allowed to conduct its own internal review of these types of incidents without reporting its findings to the public or Legislature. In this particular case, the alleged abuse happened within a week after the mother reported to law enforcement she was fearful of harming her children. Initial intervention by CYFD did not result in ironclad safety for the children and, consequently, the infant died a week later.

The secretary’s initiative steers away from the conventional practice of internal review that leaves the community wondering about oversight and accountability. Although these incidents may not be 100% preventable, New Mexico has had its share of high-profile cases where children died during or after CYFD involvement. At the very least, an outside reviewer can identify the gaps in training and supervision, so the department can bolster efforts to improve its services to the public and better protect children, as well as demarcating the lines between what was done and what should have been done to effectively carry out the protective mission of the department.

The secretary’s decision should be viewed as a commitment to making things better for New Mexico’s children, this is not a partisan issue. These incidents have happened no matter who is in the Governor’s Office and who is at the helm at CYFD. By moving in a new direction, the secretary is opening the door to much-needed reform at CYFD.

RICARDO FLORES

Albuquerque