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Officials: New Mexico child abuse tracking system obsolete

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's child-abuse tracking system has become obsolete since it was launched more than 20 years ago, officials said.
Officials told the Albuquerque Journal that the computer system is so difficult to access that they need to take printouts to court or on family visits.
Rep. Gail Chasey, who works as a court-appointed attorney in abuse and neglect cases, said she sometimes loses time crossing out irrelevant data that the system gave her, she said.
"It's just a mess," Chasey said.
Lawmakers discussed upgrading the case management system during a Tuesday meeting where they brainstormed ways to help the New Mexico agency responsible for protecting children from abuse.
However, they did not suggested that the old system, known as the Family Automated Client Tracking System or FACTS, had any part in a few shocking abuse cases that came to light.
Officials are not able to login to the system using smartphones or laptops, said Jeremy Howard, the chief data officer for the state's Children, Youth and Families Department.
Other headaches include information disappearing when the system breaks down and getting information on a related child, and not the one workers need.
The department has launched a new web portal where law enforcement officers or others working in the field can access basic case information.
Employees are also able to call an intake office for immediate information.
The department is planning a replacement for FACTS, Howard said.
He did not say what the timeline for the replacement was or whether the department has secured funding for it.
"I think we're trying to move in the right direction," he told lawmakers.
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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com