Volunteers are needed to serve on the Citizen Review Board to provide advocacy and oversight for abused and neglected children who are in the state’s custody, according to a press release from the New Mexico Child Advocacy Network (NMCAN).

The board, a project of NMCAN, has over 170 volunteers staffing 34 local review boards across the state of New Mexico. It is an independent project legislatively created by the State of New Mexico with a two part mandate:
l  To review the cases of children in the custody of the state and make recommendations to the judge who presides over the case.
l  To make recommendations to the New Mexico Legislature, the Children, Youth and Families Department, and the courts regarding the statutes, policies, and procedures relating to substitute care.

Citizen Review Board members are from all walks of life. Members meet one day a month in the local community and review several cases regarding children who are in the foster care system. The board’s recommendations are sent to the judge who presides over those cases.

To volunteer or for more information visit our website www.nmcrb.org or write N M Child Abuse and Neglect Citizen Review Board, P.O Box 30228, Albuquerque, N.M. 87190-0228 or call 1 (866) 857-2976.