As we find ourselves in the midst of National Family Week, it’s a time to celebrate and reflect upon the importance of family (whether blood-related or chosen) and the role that family plays in our lives. Families come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing they all share is the potential to shape our futures. In Chapter 6 of The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity – "Lick Your [...]
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Investing in the “Kid Workforce” Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child well-being Louisville, KY – The 2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book, released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, features the latest data on 16 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the Commonwealth have improved, worsened, or stayed the [...]
Kentucky kids and families need a safe, stable home in order to thrive. However, the rising cost and declining supply of housing has made it difficult for 43% of Kentucky renters to find safe, stable housing. For many of these families, a job loss or medical emergency could put them at risk for eviction, seriously impacting their long term economic, food, and housing security. Evictions have long been viewed as an adult problem, but new [...]
For 20 years, advocates for kids have gathered in Frankfort for Children’s Advocacy Day to fill the halls of the Capitol and ask their elected officials to step up for Kentucky kids. The critical mass of advocates in the Capitol building led to many policy wins and raising awareness of issues facing kids and their families. As we’ve transitioned to Children’s Advocacy WEEK, we've been able to have a series of virtual events with [...]
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 [...]
Parental Incarceration Awareness Month falls in October and sheds light on an often overlooked issue that affects countless families across the nation. Over 32,00 people in Kentucky are incarcerated in jails and prisons, leaving Kentucky ranked the 7th highest incarceration rate in the world – imagine just how many families this impacts! In Kentucky alone, 1 in 10 kids have experienced the incarceration of a parent. As we delve into this topic, it's crucial to [...]
By Yelena Bagdasaryan, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates Achieving optimal maternal health is critical to mothers across the Commonwealth and affects future generations in our communities. Nationally, improving maternal health has been a focus area due to high maternal mortality rates across the country. Kentucky also experiences similar negative maternal health outcomes. In 2018, Kentucky’s maternal mortality rate was 40.8 per 100,000 live births. This is significantly higher than the national rate of 17.4. In 2021 [...]
Kentucky is now in its third year as a participating site team of the Thriving Families, Safer Children (TFSC) national commitment to child, youth, and family well-being. The vision of the movement is a world in which all children, youth, and families live in just and equitable communities with the supports, opportunities, and resources they need to thrive and remain free of unnecessary child welfare system involvement. Read on for an update on some of [...]
New Report – Fostering Connections: Actions Needed to Prevent Homelessness Among Foster Care Alumni Featuring Findings from Interviews and Surveys with Young Adults with Lived Experience and Recommendations LOUISVILLE, KY – Whether they exit care through adoption, family reunification, or aging out, foster care alumni are at higher risk of experiencing homelessness as a young adult. According to recent data, approximately one in three young adults who leave foster care in Kentucky will experience housing [...]
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the prevalence of mental health challenges across the nation, especially among youth. While there were policies proposed to expand access to and affordability of mental health treatment and to improve social indicators of well-being, youth mental health is still declining according to a recent report from Child Trends. Improvements in social indicators of well-being have caused an increase in the thriving index for youth, however, indicators of depression, anxiety, and suicide [...]
