1. A. Each year, the office shall submit to the legislative finance committee, legislative health and human services committee, nations, tribes and pueblos of New Mexico, the department, the supreme court and the governor on or before September 1 a report addressing services provided by the department, including:

   1. (1) the quality of services provided to children and families;
   2. (2) the conditions of placements for New Mexico's children, the number of out-of-state placements and an assessment of each active congregate care and juvenile justice facility in which children in custody are placed;
   3. (3) the number of children removed from the household of a parent, foster parent or guardian;
   4. (4) the number of children returned to a household from which they were removed;
   5. (5) the number of children removed from a household subsequent to being returned to a household from which they were removed;
   6. (6) the number of children placed in a juvenile justice facility;
   7. (7) the number of children in custody who have run away from a department placement, the number of children in custody who have been found after running away and the number of children in custody who are currently missing;
   8. (8) the number of cases in which families subject to court-ordered treatment plans or voluntary placement agreements have absconded with children in custody;
   9. (9) a review of systemic issues related to services for assistance to children and families within the child protection and juvenile justice systems;
   10. (10) findings and recommendations related to the implementation of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 and the Indian Family Protection Act [32A-28-1 to 32A-28-42 NMSA 1978];
   11. (11) recommendations related to improving department services for children and families;
   12. (12) data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, geographic location, sexual identity, disability status, tribal affiliation and any other categories that the office deems necessary; and
   13. (13) an outline of the training and certification process for the state child advocate and office staff.
2. B. To the extent possible, the office shall use methodology that is consistent with the system used by federal government agencies for calculating and reporting the data required for the office's annual report.
3. C. The office shall create and maintain a web page on which the data contained in Subsection A of this section shall be provided in an accessible manner and updated quarterly.
4. D. Each year, the annual report shall be posted to the web page created pursuant to Subsection C of this section.

History: Laws 2025, ch. 13, § 7.

ANNOTATIONS

Effective dates. — Laws 2025, ch. 13, § 19 made Laws 2025, ch. 13, § 7 effective July 1, 2025.

Cross references. — For the federal Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, see 25 U.S.C. § 1901, et seq.