Child Abuse and Neglect
If You See Something, Say Something!
CYFD’s Protective Services Division strives to enhance the safety, permanency and well-being of children and families in New Mexico. We believe that a concern for children extends to all children in New Mexico, not just our own.
CYFD’s Protective Services Division receives reports of alleged child maltreatment 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through Statewide Central Intake at 1-855-333-SAFE (7233) or #SAFE from cell phones. We investigate reports of child maltreatment and intervene to keep New Mexico’s children safe. We provide foster care to approximately 2,500 children each day and work with families to enable parents to care for their children safely and appropriately. When that cannot be accomplished, Protective Services workers find safe, permanent families for children through adoption or permanent guardianship.
New Mexico “Duty to Report Child Abuse and Child Neglect” law (32A-4-3) states that every person who knows or has reasonable suspicion that a child is being abused or neglected in New Mexico must report the matter immediately to CYFD’s Statewide Central Intake (SCI) child abuse hotline (1-855-333-SAFE [7233] or #SAFE from a cell phone), law enforcement, or the appropriate tribal identity.
Mandated Reporting
Specific professionals mentioned under the law as mandated reporters are: licensed physicians, residents or interns, law enforcement officers, judges presiding during a proceeding, nurses, schoolteachers, school officials, social workers, and members of the clergy who have information not privileged as a matter of law.
Reporting Abuse or Neglect
It is important for every person to take child abuse and neglect seriously, to be able to recognize when it happens, and to know what to do when you see it.
Call SCI at 1-855-333-SAFE [7233] or #SAFE from a cell phone if you suspect child maltreatment is occurring.
When making a report of abuse or neglect, you may choose to remain anonymous as the reporter, and will be immune from liability, civil or criminal, as long as you have acted in good faith by reporting. We encourage callers to provide information about who they are, as it assists us in the investigative process. The caller’s name remains confidential unless ordered to be released by a court of law. In rare cases, a caller could be required to testify in court if such testimony is necessary to protect the child.
While we make every effort to protect your identity, CYFD cannot guarantee that an alleged perpetrator will not figure out who has made the report. There do exist cases in which parents or alleged perpetrators are able to guess who reported the abuse based on the nature of the report. In these cases, CYFD’s role is to attempt to redirect the alleged perpetrators and engage them in focusing on the concerns for the child.
As a reporter of abuse or neglect, it is important to include as many details about the suspected maltreatment as possible. In order for a report to be screened in for investigation, you must be able to provide enough information about so that we might be able to find the child. While certainly desirable, it is not necessary to know the name and address of the child and/or parents. All descriptive information you can provide about the child, parent, and location of the abuse helps, such as: the child’s school, parent’s workplace, vehicle license plate, etc.
Self-Reporting Abuse or Neglect
If you are a young person who is experiencing abuse or neglect or know of someone being abused or neglected, you are encouraged to use one of the above reporting methods. If you are more comfortable discussing the situation over the phone, CYFD operates Reach NM, a text message support service. The number to Reach NM is (505) 591-9444. The trained agents can take an abuse or neglect claim or help with other services. CYFD is just a text message away and available 24/7/365.
Definitions of Abuse and Neglect
It is important for every person to take child abuse and neglect seriously and be able to recognize it when it happens. New Mexico law defines abuse and neglect. (Abuse and Neglect Act (32A-4-2, NMSA, 1978))
Physical Abuse
Cases in which a child exhibits evidence of one of several of the following:
- bruising
- bleeding
- malnutrition
- failure to thrive
- burns
- fracture of a bone
- subdural hematoma
- tissue swelling
- death without a justifiable explanation for the condition or death.
Sexual Abuse
- Criminal sexual contact
- Incest or criminal sexual penetration
- Sexual exploitation (acts such as allowing, permitting, or encouraging a child to engage in prostitution or obscene or pornographic photographing, or filming a child for obscene or pornographic commercial purposes)
Neglect
- The abandonment of a child by a parent, guardian, or custodian.
- The failure of a parent, guardian, or custodian to provide a child with proper parental care and control or subsistence, education, medical or other care or control necessary for the child’s well-being.
- When a child is physically or sexually abused and the child’s parent, guardian or custodian knew or should have known of the abuse and failed to take reasonable steps to protect the child from further harm.
- Parental inability to discharge their responsibilities to and for the child because of parental incarceration, hospitalization, or physical or mental disorder or incapacity.