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So far Kentucky Youth Advocates has created 944 blog entries.

Statement on Passage of HB 3 by the House Judiciary Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – House Bill 3 undoubtedly is going to move through the House with the speed of a missile. Its impact? Depending on its final form, it carries the ambiguity of that Chinese spy balloon. There is no question that HB 3 is a much-improved approach to juvenile justice than we heard discussed during the 2022 legislative session. And we especially appreciate the listening [...]

By |2023-02-15T13:32:34-05:00February 15th, 2023|News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Statement on Passage of SB 48 by the Senate Families & Children Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – The child welfare system, and specifically the process of substantiation of abuse and neglect, is complex, involves multiple departments, and can be subjective. When people feel the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) did not take appropriate steps or make the right decisions in child abuse cases, they may contact the Ombudsman’s office to file a complaint. [...]

By |2023-02-14T10:09:07-05:00February 14th, 2023|Child Welfare & Safety, Health, News Room|
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Statement on the Latest National Child Maltreatment Report

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kentucky’s future depends heavily on the success and safety of our kids today. Our communities, child-serving systems, and policies all play a role in that future. The just released Child Maltreatment 2021 report is a powerful affirmation of the Commonwealth's progress around child maltreatment and an equally powerful challenge to accelerate that momentum. Kentucky now ranks 6th [...]

By |2023-02-10T15:37:11-05:00February 10th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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“Your voices are the ones that matter. Your stories are the ones that need to be heard.”

Tamara Vest shared the following speech at the 2023 Children's Advocacy Week Rally for Kentucky Kids at the Capitol. It's not everyday that our citizens, representatives from the General Assembly, and our Governor are able to gather in the Capitol building to celebrate each other and call upon each other, and rely on one another to do the work that it takes to make the commonwealth a place where kids and families can be just [...]

By |2023-02-09T12:57:02-05:00February 9th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Governor Beshear and Senator Raque Adams Join Hundreds of Youth and Advocates for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol

Louisville, KY – Hundreds of youth advocates from across Kentucky are convening this week for Children’s Advocacy Week. They are urging elected leaders to support the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children, a unified agenda for child advocates across the Commonwealth. Today, youth, state leaders, and advocates gathered in the Capitol Rotunda for the Rally for Kentucky Kids – the first in-person rally with child advocates since January 2020. “Each year, Children’s Advocacy Week is a time for youth, parents, social workers, [...]

By |2023-02-09T11:33:14-05:00February 8th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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OP-ED: Grandparents need Kentucky legislature to increase KTAP support

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Kentucky Lantern and Herald Leader on January 31, 2023. By Norma Hatfield Photo courtesy of the Kentucky Lantern Robert F. Kennedy said, “The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.” For the children of Kentucky, we certainly have our work cut out for us. For several years, Kentucky was #1 in child abuse and neglect. Right now, we’re [...]

By |2023-02-01T17:22:26-05:00February 1st, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security|
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OP-ED: Former foster kids like us need resources to successfully transition into adulthood

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on January 27, 2023. By Tamara Vest, Eltuan Dawson, Cynthia Schepers, and Felicity Therese Krueger Current and former foster youth need both tangible and intangible resources to successfully transition into adulthood. Tangible supports are programs and services that provide a resource or assistance for young people such as financial support, housing assistance and educational opportunities. Intangible resources include those trusting adults, mentors, peers and even [...]

By |2023-02-03T10:59:51-05:00January 30th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Casey Funds Career Opportunities for Young People With Justice System Experience

This blog was originally posted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Annie E. Casey Foun­da­tion has award­ed three $100,000 grants to help cre­ate paid posi­tions for emerg­ing pro­fes­sion­als with juve­nile jus­tice experience. Three youth jus­tice orga­ni­za­tions will receive one grant each. They are: the Cen­ter for Juve­nile Jus­tice Reform at George­town Uni­ver­si­ty in Wash­ing­ton, D.C.; Impact Jus­tice in Oak­land, Cal­i­for­nia; and Ken­tucky Youth Advo­cates in Louisville, Kentucky. As part of the solic­i­ta­tion and selec­tion process, Casey part­nered with [...]

By |2023-01-23T17:59:52-05:00January 23rd, 2023|Blog, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Ending the Youth Vaping Crisis: A Plea from Schools

We've heard the stats – more than 1 in 4 Kentucky 12th graders and 1 in 5 10th graders report vaping in the past year. Yet the reality is, that is likely a severe undercount of the vaping crisis that is plaguing our schools based on firsthand experience from teachers, administrators, and students themselves. Addressing the issue early on reduces the likelihood that youth will begin using products containing nicotine and become addicted. In fact, [...]

By |2023-01-18T15:08:25-05:00January 18th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|
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Statement on Passage of SCR 31 to Establish a Legislative Workgroup on Juvenile Justice

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Way to go, David Givens! As emotions and rhetoric heat up around juvenile justice, Senator Givens has architected a thoughtful and reflective approach to address what is, indeed, a crisis in the Commonwealth. The legislative working group – a step closer to being established with today's Senate vote on Senate Concurrent Resolution 31 – will assess a [...]

By |2023-01-06T12:02:45-05:00January 6th, 2023|News Room, Youth Justice|
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