Bill > HB534

This bill directs the Children, Youth and Families Department to develop a trauma-informed approach to supporting language and emotional development for children in foster care through autobiographical storytelling. Specifically, the department will contract with speech-language pathologists to provide training and workshops for families and case workers, focusing on helping children develop coherent storytelling skills using family experiences in subjects like mathematics, science, or history as a context. The bill requires the department to establish comprehensive standards for these training programs, including quality management, service accessibility, provider responsibilities, evaluation methods, and client record confidentiality. Additionally, the department must create and continuously evaluate a storytelling and language development framework designed to help foster children build and understand their autobiographical memory, which can be crucial for processing experiences and supporting emotional growth.

Health and Social Services

https://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Legislation?chamber=H&legtype=B&legno=534&year=25