New Mexico Will Use Multi-Disciplinary Teams for Child Abuse Investigations

By on 4-18-2013 in Child Abuse, Child Welfare, Child Welfare Reform, New Mexico

New Mexico Will Use Multi-Disciplinary Teams for Child Abuse Investigations

National Children’s Alliance recommends this approach. They say “Children’s advocacy centers emphasize the coordination of investigation and intervention services by bringing together professionals and agencies as a multidisciplinary team to create a child-focused approach to child abuse cases. The multidisciplinary team for response to child abuse allegations includes representation from the following:

  • law enforcement
  • child protective services
  • prosecution
  • mental health services
  • medical professionals
  • victim advocacy services
  • children’s advocacy center”

“Eleven New Mexico counties have adopted a new approach to investigating child-abuse cases, and now the governor is urging the rest to do the same.

The 11 have already set up Multi-Disciplinary Teams known as MDTs, which are agreements between various agencies on how they handle child-abuse cases.

On Wednesday Gov. Susana Martinez MDTs prevents further harm to the child:
“In the past, law enforcement would interview the child, social worker interviews the child, the district attorney, the nurse in the hospital–this child put through many interviews” she said.  “Now this forensic interviewer meets the needs of everyone else.”

Martinez made her push as part of Child Abuse Awareness Month.  New Mexico currently ranks eighth when it comes to child-abuse related deaths.

The governor said the mission of the state Children, Youth and Families Department is to make sure the child is safe while law enforcement investigates whether charges need to be filed.  MDTs assure the cases are handled efficiently because agencies are communicating more, she added.

More than 23 other counties took part in a summit in Albuquerque Wednesday to learn how to set up MDTs in their towns.  Martinez has directed CYFD to help establish the teams in each county.

Martinez also encouraged the public to use CYFD’s hotline to report child abuse at #7233 (“pound-SAFE”).”

New method aids child-abuse victims

[KRQE.com 4/17/13 by Jessica Garate]

A summit was held yesterday.

REFORM Puzzle Piece

 

One Comment

  1. I just the 44 page documented protocols @www.bhc.state.nm.us/pdf/RFP2008/CYFD-ps-PIP.pdf
    What’s the point if CPS staff give the gov the “head rocking forward & back” like a YES to this proposal, then CPS staffers do as they please. What Is The Point? Do the good Citizens of the State of New Mexico need to form their own Multi-Task Team to file a Multi-Million Dollar Law Suit against CYFD employees who answer to no one, making their own rules as they go along? Just asking because plenty of people are getting fed up with the lip service they are getting from the perverts at the Santa Fe County Office.-

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