About Amy Swann

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So far Amy Swann has created 61 blog entries.

Apply Today for the National Juvenile Justice Network’s Youth Justice Leadership Institute

It takes many voices to make sure the system of juvenile justice--including courts, the Department of Juvenile Justice, law enforcement, and other stakeholders--is working for kids, families, and the community. The perspectives and input of individuals of color bring a critical voice to the table, as youth of color are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. Now is a critical time for a diverse group of stakeholders as Kentucky's system of juvenile justice implements major [...]

By |2015-03-19T10:16:20-04:00March 19th, 2015|Blog, Youth Justice|

A Profoundly Different Look at Child Poverty Rates

Last week, Kentucky Youth Advocates released a new KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot by the Annie E. Casey Foundation on Measuring Access to Opportunity in the United States. That title is admittedly dry, and its focus – the Supplemental Poverty Measure – is a difficult to explain methodology for calculating poverty. However, there is something we can all get excited about in the study, namely evidence of the impact anti-poverty programs and tax policies are having [...]

By |2015-03-05T16:08:13-05:00March 5th, 2015|Blog, Economic Security, Kids Count|

The Double Whammy of Secondhand Smoke for Women

Kentucky Youth Advocates last blogged about the health effects of secondhand smoke on Kentuckians on November 20 – the day of the Great American Smokeout, and the day that Gov. Beshear's recent executive order took effect to eliminate secondhand smoke and prohibit the use of all tobacco products inside approx. 3,000 state government buildings and outside on their campuses. Now that the 2015 General Assembly has begun, discussion and debates on a bill for a [...]

By |2015-01-07T10:52:55-05:00January 7th, 2015|Blog, Health|

Tips and Tricks for Accessing Our KIDS COUNT Data Online

A year and a half ago, the Annie E. Casey Foundation – the creator of the national KIDS COUNT project – unveiled a new and improved online Data Center to house the thousands of indicators of child and family well-being they, and their KIDS COUNT groups across the states (like Kentucky Youth Advocates), collect and make available for policymakers, service providers, researchers, and child advocates like you. Figuring out how to use the new Data Center is well worth [...]

Youth Justice in Focus – Part One: Jailing Youth for Status Offense Behaviors

  Kentucky’s Changing Use of Incarceration for Status Offenses Kentucky has seen a steady decline in the practice of putting youth in juvenile jails (officially called secure juvenile detention centers) for status offenses (things like skipping school or running away from home) since peaking in 2007. In fact, use of this practice has fallen by 52 percent from 2007 to 2012. This is great news given the use of incarceration is the most expensive and [...]

By |2013-08-21T13:54:25-04:00August 21st, 2013|Blog, Youth Justice|

Restorative justice practices for youth

When I first learned of Restorative Justice in 2009 I could tell from descriptions that it was, by design, a much more holistic and thoughtful approach to dealing with youth misbehaviors and criminal activity than our current system of juvenile justice. So, I jumped at the opportunity to hear an expert on Restorative Justice speak at Bellarmine University in November 2009. The expert, Allan MacRae, was overseeing Family Group Conferences for Youth Justice and Care [...]

By |2013-08-20T08:37:04-04:00August 20th, 2013|Blog, Youth Justice|

“There has to be a better way”

“There has been a steady refrain from those who have testified before us…that there has to be a better way.” That was a quote from Representative John Tilley, co-chair of the Unified Juvenile Code Task Force, in the Sunday Courier-Journal story on Kentucky’s use of incarceration of children for things such as skipping school and running away from home. The story highlights the progress made on this issue (the trend line is going in the [...]

By |2013-08-01T10:28:07-04:00August 1st, 2013|Blog, Youth Justice|

Introducing the new and improved KIDS COUNT Data Center

Monday not only marked the public release of the 2013 National KIDS COUNT Data Book, it also included the unveiling of the new and improved KIDS COUNT Data Center by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Data Center is now easier to use, featuring an improved search tool, easier tools to make maps and charts, and better ways to customize and share materials on social media. For those not familiar with the KIDS COUNT Data [...]

Can we commit to a ten percent plan?

Yesterday’s blog post focused on some of the new Kentucky data portrayed in the 2013 National KIDS COUNT Data Book released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. I pointed out some of the child well-being indicators our state is moving backwards on and the fact that not all of the apparent good news is all good news. Given that we have a lot of room for improvement, I wondered what child well-being in the Commonwealth [...]

By |2013-06-25T12:52:12-04:00June 25th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Good news, bad news for Kentucky’s kids

The 2013 National KIDS COUNT Data Book released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation paints a fairly comprehensive picture of how Kentucky’s children and youth are faring and tells us whether Kentucky has been moving in the right direction on important indicators of child well-being. The Data Book measures child well-being through 16 indicators, with 4 indicators in each of these 4 domains: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. What is quickly [...]

By |2013-06-24T16:56:40-04:00June 24th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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