The Court Improvement Project of the New Mexico Supreme Court

What is Court Improvement?

In 1995, federal grant money was awarded to the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts, on behalf of the Supreme Court, to develop and manage the Court Improvement Project (CIP), a comprehensive effort to assess and improve judicial proceedings related to child abuse and neglect, foster care, and adoption. Every year since, New Mexico has continued to receive the federal CIP grant. In 2006, New Mexico was awarded two additional CIP grants, one for training and one for data collection and analysis.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court appointed a broadly based Task Force to coordinate the project. This Task Force of twenty-eight people - including judges, legislators, representatives from the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), social workers, attorneys, and child and family advocates - is joined by many other "interested parties" in implementing CIP initiatives. Together, the participants in the Court Improvement Project (CIP) form a strong coalition collaborating to improve New Mexico's foster care system.

Mission

Vision