CYFD Kinship Care in New Mexico: Pull Together Program, Helpline and Navigator Services

When a child lands in your home through a family crisis, the Children, Youth and Families Department is often the first state agency you hear about — and the one you're most unsure about calling. CYFD runs New Mexico's child welfare system, but it also operates a network of kinship support services that exist specifically to help relatives like you, whether or not the department placed the child with you.

The Pull Together Program

CYFD's Pull Together initiative (pulltogether.cyfd.nm.gov) is the department's dedicated kinship outreach arm. It connects grandparents and other relative caregivers with regional community hubs, support groups, peer mentors, and emergency referrals across New Mexico. The program covers both formal placements — where CYFD removed the child and placed them with you — and informal arrangements where you stepped in on your own.

Pull Together hubs operate in partnership with local nonprofits. In Bernalillo County, the Southwest Family Guidance Center runs free case management, crisis navigation, and peer support groups for kinship families. Similar partnerships extend to Doña Ana, Rio Arriba, and other counties. These hubs do not make eligibility decisions about benefits. They help you fill out paperwork, gather documents, and figure out which office handles what.

The toll-free bilingual helpline is 1-855-546-1212 (855-KIN-1212). A navigator can walk you through what CYFD involvement means for your situation, connect you to a local hub, and help you understand the difference between formal and informal kinship care.

What Kinship Navigators Do (and Don't Do)

A CYFD kinship navigator is an application helper — not a decision-maker. Navigators can sit with you at an ISD interview, help you assemble the documents for a child-only TANF application, explain which benefits the child may qualify for, and refer you to legal aid for guardianship questions.

What navigators cannot do: approve or deny benefits, override a caseworker's decision, or represent you in court. Those powers belong to ISD caseworkers, administrative hearing officers, and judges. Knowing this distinction matters because it sets your expectations — a navigator's recommendation doesn't guarantee approval, and a caseworker's mistake doesn't mean the navigator failed.

CYFD Placement vs. Non-CYFD Kinship Care

The financial gap between formal and informal kinship care in New Mexico is significant, and it hinges on whether CYFD opened a case.

Formal CYFD placement means CYFD removed the child from the parents through a court order or voluntary placement agreement under the Children's Code (NMSA 32A). The child is in CYFD legal custody, you become the placement. This path opens the door to foster care maintenance payments and — if the child is eligible for foster care maintenance, you become licensed as a kinship foster parent, the child stays with you for at least six consecutive months, and CYFD and you execute a written Guardianship Assistance Agreement before the court enters its final order — the Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program. GAP payments are negotiated based on the child's needs but can reach $600–$900+ per month, and the child automatically qualifies for Medicaid under Category 060/061 with no income test.

Non-CYFD kinship care means you stepped in without protective services involvement. The child is not in state custody. You can still apply for a NMW child-only cash grant (up to $327 per month for one child), SNAP, Turquoise Care Medicaid, and ECECD childcare assistance. Your income is excluded from the child-only grant calculation. But GAP subsidies are off the table unless CYFD opens a formal case.

This gap is structural, not accidental. Title IV-E is federal foster care money, and federal rules require a formal removal and licensed placement before funds flow. The Kinship Caregiver Support Pilot Program (HB 252) was designed to partially bridge this gap for informal kin, but it only operates in five counties with a 250-family statewide cap.

When to Call CYFD vs. When to Go Straight to ISD

If the child arrived because of an immediate safety concern — abuse, neglect, a parent's disappearance — and CYFD is already involved or should be, call CYFD Central Intake at 1-855-333-3268 or 911 for emergencies. If protective services opens a case and places the child with you, your CYFD caseworker will guide you through the foster care licensing and subsidy process.

If the child arrived through a family agreement — a parent asked you to take over, or circumstances made it necessary without a safety emergency — CYFD involvement isn't required for you to access benefits. Go directly to the Income Support Division through the YES New Mexico portal (yes.state.nm.us) and apply for the child-only cash grant, SNAP, and Medicaid. You can still call the Pull Together helpline for navigation help even without a formal case.

Getting Help with the Full Picture

Understanding which agency does what — and which benefits the child qualifies for depending on your care arrangement — is one of the hardest parts of kinship caregiving. Our Financial Help for Grandparents and Relatives Raising a Child in New Mexico guide maps every program, agency, and application step into one printable document so you can see the full picture before you start calling offices.

If you want to start with the basics, grab the free benefits checklist — it lists every program to check, which agency runs it, and the documents you need.

See more New Mexico guides →