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 Senate Bill 151, sponsored by Senator Julie Raque Adams. This legislation will allow a relative or fictive kin caregiver to apply at any time to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to be certified as a child-specific foster home – guaranteeing them access to much needed financial supports. It would also allow a child, when able, to identify possible relative or fictive kin caregivers whom they could be placed with, if removed from their home – promoting the child’s voice in their own well-being.

While this is just the first step in the bill process, SB 151 reaching the finish line this session along with investments in kinship families in the final state budget will be a win for those vulnerable kiddos as well as their grandpa, aunt, or coach stepping up to ensure the Kentucky kids they love can grow up safe and hopeful. As a Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy priority, Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky thank Senator Raque Adams for championing this legislation and the Senate Families & Children Committee for supporting it.

Stay up-to-date on Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priorities and other bills that are good for kids on our Kentucky General Assembly Bill Tracker.

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About Kentucky Youth Advocates
Kentucky Youth Advocates believes all children deserve to be safe, healthy, and secure. As THE independent voice for Kentucky’s children, we work to ensure policymakers create investments and policies that are good for children. Learn more at www.kyyouth.org.