Use social workers to help New Mexico’s children

The now recognized crisis that is severely impacting New Mexico’s children needs to be addressed by the social work professionals who are prepared to serve children at risk.

While Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has recently determined there exist longstanding challenges faced by Children, Youth and Families Department’s Child Protective Services, there is a clear path toward addressing this problem in state agencies. That option is available through requiring employment with social work professionals.

CYFD and other state agencies have chosen alternative options to get around the professional social work role to its own detriment and certainly to the detriment of our New Mexico children.

The state has created job descriptions and requirements that minimize the need for professionally prepared staff. At least three agencies have been negatively impacted by this muddying of the position requirements, thus obfuscating the need for licensed social workers. Those agencies include the Department of Health, the Aging and Long-Term Services Department as well as CYFD.

Requirements for professionally educated, prepared and licensed social workers with a bachelor’s degree in social work and those with a master’s degree in social work will elevate the services, address the crisis, and provide informed, culturally competent and timely services for children in CYFD custody as well as those served by sister agencies.

The profession of social work requires social workers to adhere to a National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and carries with it accountability for services provided.

Only a small percentage of CYFD’s workforce is filled by licensed social workers. CYFD has access to federal funding that would assist the current unlicensed employees who come from other fields in pursuing a bachelor’s-level social work degree.

State agencies, in concert with the State Personnel Office, should create a clear social worker classification and position description and compensate accordingly. It is critical this professionalization of the social work personnel be consistent between all state agencies to ensure the state’s most vulnerable children are optimally cared for. Additionally, the New Mexico licensed social worker shortage has been highlighted in the media, emphasizing the need for appropriate compensation and support for professionals in the field.

This crucial change would address longstanding recruitment and retention difficulties.

Just as our governor and our legislators took bold steps to make New Mexico a regional leader for public education teachers, so must we now take bold steps for social workers and social work practice in New Mexico. This is a pivotal moment. Our state deserves this change and is already blessed with professional, licensed social workers.

Lynn Christiansen, MSW, is a retired social worker who has lived in New Mexico for 26 years. She is the former New Mexico Title V director for children and youth with special health care needs and the former New Mexico Department of Health, Public Health Division program manager for children’s medical services.