Note: This site is for reviewing legacy plan of work data from 2007-2011. If you are looking for the current plan of work interface, visit pow.nmsu.edu.

NM Works - SW Region Civil Rights Plan of Work

Plan Goal

To achieve Civil Rights compliance for the NM Works Program - SW under NM State University Cooperative Extension Service

Situation Statement

NM Works, as a special grant program under the Cooperative Extension Service, recognizes the importance of reaching out and serving all citizens of New Mexico. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that no person on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex or national origin will be excluded from participation in or benefits of any program receiving federal funding. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that no person on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin will be excluded from selection, trainings, advancement, and other benefits of employment. NM Works has a responsibility to provide services to all persons who want or need them. This responsibility ensures that NM Works is reaching out to all potential audiences in New Mexico with respect to NM Works services and employment within our organization.

NM Works Program services must be conducted in a manner that treats every participant or customer and employee with fairness, equality, and respect. Every person that works for NM Works under Cooperative Extension Service is responsible for Civil Rights efforts.

Who Sees This As An Issue:

Under the current NM Works contract from the State of New Mexico Human Services Department, no civil rights responsibilities are included, and/or mandated. However, NMSU’s Cooperative Extension Service understands that Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) is a federal block grant given to the State of New Mexico. Therefore, NM Works has a civil rights responsibility for the resources we receive from our state partner. It is important that NM Works sets precedence by example for similar grant funded programs and demonstrates a level of accountability to civil rights and diversity.

Documents:

Starting with calendar year 2007, all Extension Programs including NM Works are required to have at least one Civil Rights Plan of Work on file. A complete list of statutes and USDA Departmental regulations can be found at http: www.usda.gov/da/directives.htm.

What Are The Implications of Ignoring The Issue:

Ignoring civil rights laws can result in stagnant programs and services. Program reviews conducted by Cooperative Extension Service’s Civil Rights Team are a proactive effort to help programs such as NM Works determine how well operations and services are being done on an equal opportunity basis while still maintaining the requirements of current Program contract. Civil rights reviews should provide the Program some insight and direction in meeting the most important issues facing citizens of New Mexico.

What Work Has Been Done in The Past:

NM Works has included the affirmative action statement on most public and participant documents and mail outs. NM Works has also always maintained an “open door” policy to anyone who wants to use NM Works services. All staff under the direction of NMSU NM Works which includes Otero, Dona Ana, and Socorro has viewed both the ADA and Civil Rights training done by Cooperative Extension service via CENTRA.

What Potential Solutions Proposed For The Future:

Civil Rights compliance for NM Works is an ongoing effort. There will be a “standard operating procedure” established for each NM Works office in the SW Region that complies with all the civil rights laws and regulations. The director shall review all the tip sheets which are found on the Civil Rights website as well as review the mock civil rights files that are available to the counties.

How Will Progress Be Made:

NM Works staff will review the training packet developed by CES a minimum of two times per year and all new staff will be asked to view any archived civil rights/ADA CENTRA trainings and the training packet. It will be important for every employee of NM Works to understand their responsibilities in civil rights compliance.

Target Audience and Actions

The NM Works Program- SW Region currently provides services to families receiving Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF) in the eight county region of southern New Mexico. The counties include Catron, Hidalgo, Grants, Luna, Doña Ana, Sierra, Socorro, and Otero. There are approximately 1,400 TANF individuals who receive services monthly from NM Works in this Region plus Food Stamp recipients who also recieve NM Works services. In order to ensure non-discrimination in service delivery, staff will be required to view or attend educational programs on the topics of civil rights. There will be more delivery of innovative services and outreach efforts and corrective action will be taken if discrimination or non-compliance occurs. NM Works staff shall effectively utilize demographic data collected as well as other NM resources to better direct outreach efforts to TANF participants in this region.

The target audience will include all staff employed with NM Works, all participants who receive/or received TANF or Food Stamps in this region as well as anyone who wishes to take advantage of the services offered by NM Works.

Short-Term Objectives

To increase NM Works staff immediate awareness of Civil Rights/ADA responsibilities. Introduce the laws and have idea sharing and training sessions with NM Works staff. Ensure that the "and Justice for all" poster is in every NM Works office. Familiarize staff with the NMSU CAHE State Civil Rights Plan of Work.

Medium-Term Objectives

Begin implementing forms and/or documents that display the ADA and Civil Rights (EEO) statements properly. Begin setting up a departmental Civil Rights file based on the Civil Rights file guides.

Long-Term Objectives

Ensure that NM Works staff completely understands the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Have a fully implemented civil rights/ADA program with targeted audience outreach and complete civil rights files throughout all NM Works Program counties in the SW Region. Use demographic data to target under-represented audiences and provide more outreach to those audiences.

Evaluation Plan

The Civil Rights File guides will be used as a guide for setting up internal civil rights files at NM Works. NM Works will utilize the Civil Rights Reviews as an evaluation tool and for feedback on progress towards civil rights compliance in NM Works offices in the SW Region.