The proposed bill establishes the Critical Incident Investigation Team within the Protective Services Division of the Children, Youth and Families Department in New Mexico, tasked with investigating reports of critical incidents involving children in placement locations. It introduces new definitions such as "critical incident," "serious critical incident," and "placement location" to the Abuse and Neglect Act. The bill mandates that reports of critical incidents be sent immediately to the team, which will work in collaboration with local law enforcement. It emphasizes the need for specialized investigation processes and grants the team access to relevant records, aiming to enhance the protection and welfare of children in care through thorough investigations.

Additionally, the bill amends the current law regarding the multilevel response system for child welfare cases, allowing the department to reassign cases at its discretion unless they involve a critical incident. It requires family assessments for families receiving services and allows family members to accept or decline services, while retaining the department's right to investigate if services are declined. The bill also mandates the employment of licensed social workers and requires reporting on the system's implementation and outcomes. An appropriation of $250,000 is allocated to support the implementation of these changes, which include the establishment of the Critical Incident Investigation Team and the procedures for conducting investigations.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 32A-4-2, 32A-4-3, 32A-4-4, 32A-4-4.1