Report Abuse / Neglect
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 reporters to provide information about who they are, as it assists us in the investigative process. The reporter’s name remains confidential unless ordered to be released by a court of law. In rare cases, a reporter could be required to testify in court if such testimony is necessary to protect the child.
While we make every effort to protect a reporter’s 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 work place, 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.