ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — We’re just two weeks away from the governor’s self-imposed deadline to clear a 2,000-case backlog at the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told KOB 4 that workers from other state departments were temporarily moving to CYFD to handle more behind-the-scenes tasks to help clear that backlog – like paperwork and phone calls.

However, on Friday, CYFD Secretary Teresa Casados said those additional workers are actually more on the front lines of investigations – with seemingly minimal training.

“We just don’t have the resources independently right now to look at that extensive number of cases which is why we relied on other agencies to assist with that,” Casados said.

Casados said they brought in 30 people from six other state departments to help with those cases, including:

• Regulation and Licensing
• Aging & Long-Term Services
• Adult Protective Services
• Department of Health
• Adult Probation & Parole
• Juvenile Probation & Parole

Casados said those workers are acting as the eyes and ears for investigators – going out to interview victims, family members, and others involved with a case.

“Just to really gather information and ensure that the case is being looked at closely, that people have an opportunity to weigh in and provide information,” Casados said.

Casados said that information will then be used by CYFD investigators and supervisors to determine the next steps for the child and the family.

“They’re provided documentation to take with them, to look at, we’re also doing a training for those individuals, what to look for, what our safety and risk assessment has in that,” Casados said. “They’re briefed on the Children’s Code and what abuse and neglect is and provided guidance on what to be looking for.”

Casados said the training is about two to two-and-a-half hours long. She said the people filling in have backgrounds and experience with conducting interviews and gathering information.

Casados said she’s less concerned about the two month timeline and more focused on doing thorough investigations. But she admitted sometimes they have to close a case before they ever really get to the bottom of it.

“Sometimes we don’t make contact with individuals, sometimes when an individual calls in they may not have complete information, like a last name, an address, a location that makes it difficult to obtain any sort of follow up,” Casados said.

KOB 4 asked if the people filling in could be held liable if they miss something during those interviews that then leads to the harm of a child. Casados said no.

The responsibility would be on the CYFD investigator and supervisor who determined what to do with the information gathered.

Casados said the department has just less than 1,000 cases to go through to clear the backlog. She hopes to keep the people filling in from other departments through the end of this month.