2018 APSR Update:
PSD continues to honor and build the relationships with the tribal and pueblos communities throughout NM. The Federal Reporting Bureau Chief, Cynthia Chavers, has also been designated to be the Tribal Liaison. In this role, Ms. Chavers represents CYFD/PSD in several workgroups and consortiums, including: the NM Tribal ICWA Consortium, the Tribal‐State Judicial Consortium, and the NM Partners Group facilitated by the Casey Foundation. Ms. Chavers also serves as a consultant to field staff on ICWA cases and to the Professional Development Bureau on training needs of the agency.
PSD works in these groups to address general concerns of the tribes; to increase the communication and collaboration between the state child welfare agency and the tribes; to ensure that best practices are widely known and accepted by field staff; to consult on cases when tribes request assistance in working with PS field staff; to provide training, education, and resources to CYFD’s tribal partners; and to continue to advocate for ICWA to be considered the “gold standard” in child welfare practice in NM.
PSD collaborated with the NM Tribal ICWA Consortium (NMTIC) to present at the largest child welfare conference in the state, the NM Children’s Law Institute. The presenters were NMTIC President, Donalynn Sarracino (Pueblo of Acoma); NMTIC Vice‐President, Jacqueline Yalch (Pueblo of Isleta); and Cynthia Chavers, Federal Reporting Bureau Chief CYFD. The title of the presentation was “Using ICWA as a Tool in Tribal/State Collaboration.” This presentation was received very well by the audience, which was made up of caseworkers, administrators, attorneys and judges who work in child welfare. One audience evaluation stated it was the “best ICWA training (the participant) ever attended.”
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CYFD leadership also has the pleasure of participating in the NM Partners groups facilitated by the Casey Foundation. The NM Partners have been meeting quarterly since 2015. The group is comprised of representation from the NMTIC, the Tribal‐State Judicial Consortium, CYFD, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and the NM CASA program. This group’s stated intent is: “A coming together of minds & partners in the State of New Mexico to dialogue on Indian Child Welfare & promote collaboration and communication for better outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native children and families.” The NM Partners conducted a strategic planning session in May of 2018 and devised five consensus vision statements:
1) ICWA specialized court and unit is the gold standard of legal and social work in NM
2) Quality, relevant data of Native American children is standardized and consistently collected and used to support meaningful practice, decision‐making and resource allocation.
3) Every level of leadership recognizes the value of collaboration to build trust and transparency to support better outcomes for kids.
4) Consistent, culturally‐informed and safety‐focused practices are NM’s (ICWA) gold standard in legal and social work.
5) Cross agency training is built through consensus engagement a comprehensively builds ICWA skills, knowledge and attitudes to support best practices.
These five statements are now the goals that CYFD/PSD will collaborate to achieve with the NM Partners.
https://cyfd.org/docs/2018-2019_New_Mexico_CYFD_APSR_September_2018_Final.pdf
