Statement on Passage of SB 151 by the House Families & Children Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kinship families – such a growing and important piece of Kentucky's fabric – won today as the House Families and Children Committee advanced Senate Bill 151 under the leadership of Senator Julie Raque Adams. With changes adopted by the committee today, the legislation will grant kinship and fictive kin caregivers 120 days – or upon a qualifying event – to [...]

Getting a Clearer Picture: Kinship Caregiver Resource List

By Norma Hatfield, kinship caregiver and president of the Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky As a grandmother who has navigated the child welfare system while caring for two of my grandchildren, I found that I was desperate for information; especially at the beginning when you get the kids. Oftentimes, the kids come with what they are wearing at the moment and you have nothing else. You are starting all over.   Even more so,  I [...]

By |2024-02-22T16:46:25-05:00February 22nd, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Race Equity|

Statement on Passage of SB 151 by the Kentucky Senate

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – There’s no doubt that Kentucky’s kinship and fictive caregivers are the often-unsung heroes for thousands of kids across the Commonwealth – stepping up in a moment’s notice to provide a safe space for their young loved ones to grow and heal. While Kentucky provides financial assistance to relative or fictive kin caregivers who choose to become certified [...]

Statement on Passage of SB 151 by Senate Families & Children Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Prioritizing kinship families is prioritizing some of our most vulnerable Kentucky kids. When a child is removed from their home due to abuse or neglect, being placed with a relative or close friend helps reduce trauma and maintain connections to culture, traditions, and siblings. Today, the Senate Families and Children Committee prioritized kinship families with passage of [...]

National Grandfamilies Report Emphasizes Focus on Resilience Building

By Tamara Vest and Shannon Moody When children cannot stay safely with their parents, research tells us the best option for their success lies in being cared for by grandparents, relatives, or close family friends. Kentuckians value family and we see these caregiving arrangements in many homes across the Commonwealth.  It is estimated that 55,000 children live with and receive care and support from a relative that is not their biological parent in the state [...]

By |2024-01-04T13:18:07-05:00January 4th, 2024|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security|

Announcing the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2024 State Policy and Budget Priorities Agenda

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Louisville, KY – Today, Kentucky Youth Advocates and partners from across the Commonwealth released the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2024 priority agenda. The Blueprint speaks with a common voice to create brighter futures for all Kentucky kids and their families. The Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children is a coalition of non-profit, public, and private organizations that stands on three pillars: thriving communities launch strong families, strong families launch successful kids, and successful [...]

OP-ED: Five things we can do for kinship families

This originally appeared as an op-ed in Kentucky Today and the Herald Leader on November 30, 2023. By Norma Hatfield As we approach a new year, let’s not forget kids in kinship care.  Kinship care is when a child is living with relatives or close family friends other than their parents.  These children may be victims of abuse and neglect and/or formally in the child welfare system, while many for a myriad of reasons are informally [...]

By |2023-11-30T17:40:54-05:00November 30th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|

Federal Update to Support Relative Foster Care Providers, LGBTQI+ Foster Children, and Family Legal Representation

Recently, the Biden-Harris Administration proposed three new federal rules related to the child welfare system in an effort to expand supports for children and families who come into contact with the system as a result of child abuse and neglect. Those three new rules are explained below based on how we anticipate Kentucky’s system will be impacted.  Supporting Relative Foster Care Providers As of September 5, 2023, there were over 1,000 children placed in relative [...]

By |2023-10-26T11:35:17-04:00October 26th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Race Equity|

New Efforts to Boost WIC Participation in Kentucky

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women’s, Infant, and Children (WIC) provides vital support for the food and nutrition security of pregnant women, new moms, babies, and young children by providing food assistance via an EBT card, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support. While this support is critical for new parents and young children, the WIC program is out of date and does not reach everyone who is eligible. Kinship caregivers and Kentucky’s Latinx population face [...]

By |2023-05-25T21:43:43-04:00May 25th, 2023|Blog, Economic Security, Health, Race Equity|

Kinship Caregivers, State Leaders, and Advocates Attend Kinship Coalition Virtual Summit

Kinship Caregivers, State Leaders, and Advocates Attend Kinship Coalition Virtual Summit Governor Proclaims September as Kinship Care Awareness Month LOUISVILLE, KY – Dozens of kinship caregivers, child welfare stakeholders, policy makers, and advocates from across Kentucky virtually gathered today for the Kinship Coalition Virtual Summit. Two years after the federal Family First Act implementation, over a year out from a global pandemic, a lawsuit that rose to the level of the Supreme Court, and several [...]

By |2021-09-02T11:32:05-04:00September 2nd, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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