Advocacy Cafe

Featuring Michelle Valdez from CYFD

Description

Attendees will gain a foundational understanding of the laws and responsibilities of mandated reporting for suspected child abuse and neglect. Attendees will also learn the steps that CYFD Protective Services takes once an initial report is made including how reports are prioritized and the legal processes involved once a case has been established. Participants will be given suggestions for building collaborations with their local protective services office and provided with resources for assisting families involved in the CYFD protective services system.

Facilitator

Michelle Valdez is a Placement Supervisor with the Child Youth and Families Division (CYFD) Protective Services Department for Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, and Los Alamos Counties. Michelle has worked in the Social Work profession since 2013. She received her Associates degree in Human Services from Santa Fe Community College and both her Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in Social Work from New Mexico Highlands University.

She has worked at Casa Familia Shelter as an intake coordinator, Esperanza Shelter as a domestic violence advocate, and the Santa Fe County Detox Center as an intake coordinator. Michelle has been with CYFD Child Protective Services since 2017 as an investigator, senior permanency worker and now a placement supervisor.