Mara Powell, Author at Kentucky Youth Advocates

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on HB 527 Passing Kentucky House

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates HB 527, which prioritizes the educational stability of children who have experienced abuse or neglect, passed the Kentucky House on consent orders today. When a child is removed from their home due to abuse or neglect, they face a number of transitions, including a new home and a new caregiver. A child’s removal from his or her home [...]

By Mara Powell|2018-03-15T10:52:23-04:00March 14th, 2018|Child Welfare & Safety, Education, News Room|

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on SB 137 Passing Kentucky Senate

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We applaud the Kentucky Senate for passing SB 137, which seeks to address abuse and protect future victims by giving judges the option to allow testimony from a trustworthy adult to whom a child has disclosed abuse. When adults are held accountable in the court system, kids are safer from abuse. If a young child has been a [...]

By Mara Powell|2018-03-13T16:08:40-04:00March 13th, 2018|Child Welfare & Safety, Justice, News Room|

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on HB 527 Passing House Health and Family Services Committee

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates When a child is removed from their home due to abuse or neglect, they face a number of transitions, including a new home and a new caregiver. A child’s removal from his or her home can be traumatic. We should do everything possible to ensure transitional processes go smoothly. Knowing for some kids that school is the most [...]

By Mara Powell|2018-03-08T13:12:48-05:00March 8th, 2018|Child Welfare & Safety, Education, News Room|

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on SB 137 Passing Senate Judiciary Committee

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates When adults are held accountable in the court system, kids are safer from abuse. Today’s action by the Senate Judiciary Committee affirms that notion. We applaud the Senate Judiciary Committee for supporting SB 137, which seeks to address abuse and protect future victims by allowing a trustworthy adult to whom a child has disclosed abuse to testify in [...]

By Mara Powell|2018-03-08T12:08:16-05:00March 8th, 2018|Child Welfare & Safety, Justice, News Room|

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on SB 133 Passing Kentucky Senate

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates When you think about the justice system in the Commonwealth, you must also think about the shared sentence of incarceration on our children. After all, three of five inmates in Kentucky have children, including 71% of women in state custody. Senate Bill 133, championed by Senator Julie Raque Adams and passed today by the Kentucky Senate, takes strong [...]

By Mara Powell|2018-03-05T18:57:30-05:00March 5th, 2018|Justice, News Room|

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on the Kentucky House’s Proposed Executive Branch Budget

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on the Kentucky House’s Proposed Executive Branch Budget

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We are encouraged by the Kentucky House’s proposed executive branch budget as it embraces a myriad of opportunities to improve the lives and futures of Kentucky kids and families. The overall proposal represents a courageous commitment to Kentucky kids. We applaud House Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman Steven Rudy and all members of the committee and subcommittees for [...]

By Mara Powell|2018-03-01T17:16:45-05:00March 1st, 2018|Child Welfare & Safety, Education, News Room|

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on SB 133 Passing Senate Health and Welfare Committee

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Kentucky continues to be smart when it comes to the intersection of justice and families. When you think about the justice system in the Commonwealth, you have to think about the shared sentence of our children whose parents are incarcerated. After all, three of five inmates in Kentucky have children, including 71% of women in prison. Kentucky also [...]

By Mara Powell|2018-02-22T18:36:05-05:00February 22nd, 2018|Justice, News Room|

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on HB 1 Passing House Health and Family Services Committee

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Reforming child welfare seemingly has been everyone’s chant for years in Frankfort. House Bill 1 is making that rhetoric into a reality. We applaud the House Health and Family Services Committee for their unanimous support of HB 1, which sets forth a comprehensive plan for strengthening how Kentucky supports children impacted by abuse and neglect. This legislation reflects [...]

By Mara Powell|2018-02-22T18:37:03-05:00February 22nd, 2018|Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|

Champions Stepping Up for Kentucky Kids

Champions Stepping Up for Kentucky Kids

At the 14th annual Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol, hundreds of advocates and youth gathered in the Rotunda to celebrate wins for Kentucky kids in the 2017 legislative session and to rally in support of priorities on the 2018 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children agenda. Kids win when leaders step up for them and the General Assembly took action in 2017 on a number of Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children legislative priorities. Because of those [...]

By Mara Powell|2018-04-03T10:46:49-04:00February 16th, 2018|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Justice, Youth Justice|

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on CHFS Announcement to Pay Eligible Relative Caregivers Foster Care Payments

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on CHFS Announcement to Pay Eligible Relative Caregivers Foster Care Payments

Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates The Cabinet for Health and Family Services is moving forward with plans to make financial assistance payments to eligible relative and fictive kin caregivers of children placed in their home by the Cabinet after the October 2017 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. This announcement is profoundly good news for Kentucky kids and families. It certainly is aligned with Governor [...]

By Mara Powell|2018-02-13T16:33:01-05:00February 13th, 2018|Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|

About Mara Powell