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Latest Child Fatality & Near Fatality External Review Panel Annual Report

Kentucky’s Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel has released its 2024 Annual Report, which includes a comprehensive review of every child death and near-death in the state fiscal year 2023 referred to the panel by the Department for Community Based Services and the Department for Public Health. This state-mandated panel meets throughout the year to review each case and make policy recommendations aimed at preventing future incidents. This report should be considered alongside [...]

By |2025-02-20T10:42:21-05:00February 20th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Statement on Passage of HB 291 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 – Kentucky has the third highest rate of parental incarceration in the nation, with over 100,000 children having experienced the disruption and trauma of being separated from a parent. The Family Preservation and Accountability Act, co-championed by Senator Julie Raque Adams and Representative Nick Wilson, seeks to hold parents accountable for their actions while minimizing the negative impact [...]

By |2025-02-20T10:13:33-05:00February 20th, 2025|Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health, Justice, News Room|
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Weathering the Storm: Adverse Climate Experiences and Resilience in Kentucky

Many moons ago, before I was born, and when my brother was just a little boy – the sky one day turned the color purple and in moments, the wind picked up and my family found themselves huddled under an old pick-up truck praying that the wind would subside. That day a tornado hit my home lane of Hillsboro and turned my family’s single-wide sideways. To this day, whenever the wind picks up, my father’s [...]

By |2025-02-18T15:30:51-05:00February 18th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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Taliyah’s Story of Losing Child Care: Roadblocking Dreams and Missing Early Learning

Every parent wants a stable child care option to keep their kids safe and help them learn and grow.  Taliyah's Story My world was turned upside down this summer when the daycare that my children attended told me that they could no longer serve my two-year-old son. The director explained that my son needed more one-on-one support and that the center was too short staffed to be able to provide the care he needed.  I [...]

By |2025-02-13T14:14:43-05:00February 13th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education|
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Guest Post: Equipping Animal Control Officers to Help Keep Kids Safe

By Kiera Dunk Content warning: This blog, or pages it links to, contains information about sensitive subjects including abuse and violence.  The most recent data released shows that rates of child abuse are down since 2019, but still not enough. This is not acceptable, and I think you all will agree, the Commonwealth of Kentucky is CAPABLE of doing much better.  In 2023, I discovered a national organization called The National Link Coalition. This group has [...]

By |2025-02-14T16:04:48-05:00February 13th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Statement on Passage of SB 73 by Kentucky Senate

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kids’ safety was once again prioritized by the Kentucky Senate with their overwhelming bipartisan support of Senate Bill 73 today. Through the leadership of Senator Julie Raque Adams, SB 73 will empower victims of sexual extortion by holding perpetrators accountable and will prioritize prevention education among Kentucky’s most vulnerable to online risks. Online sexual extortion – or [...]

By |2025-02-12T15:25:59-05:00February 12th, 2025|Child Welfare & Safety, Education, News Room|
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A Look at the Family Preservation and Accountability Act

Updated April 9, 2026 In 2025, the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children and Bloom Kentucky‘s 2025 legislative priorities included the Family Preservation and Accountability Act. The proposed legislation would require courts to consider alternative sentences for parents of dependent children who committed low-level and nonviolent offenses. With the hard work of advocates and legislative champions, Senator Julie Raque Adams and Representative Nick Wilson, Senate Bill 122 successfully passed both chambers in 2026 and is expected to be signed into law by the Governor. On February [...]

By |2026-04-22T14:44:06-04:00February 6th, 2025|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice|
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My Family’s Story and “What Could Have Been” with Alternative Response

By Theda Simpson-Mosby Is there such a thing as a “normal” family? What beliefs do we hold about how “normal” families should function daily? Is it the family with a spotless home, a mom and dad who both work in their chosen professions, parents who head the PTA and coach the little league teams, and children who arrive at school with immaculate clothing and not a hair out of place?  While this may be the [...]

By |2025-02-06T15:15:09-05:00February 6th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Statement on Passage of SB 73 by Senate Judiciary Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – As Kentucky kids learn and socialize increasingly in online spaces, it’s as important as ever to put safeguards in place to prevent and address exploitation and promote child safety. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in cases of online sexual extortion, or “sextortion” – where perpetrators use social media platforms, gaming sites, and messaging [...]

By |2025-02-06T09:59:09-05:00February 6th, 2025|Child Welfare & Safety, Education, News Room|
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Educator Sexual Misconduct: The Role of Technology and Prevention Efforts

A recently published study in the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse examines how technology has been used to facilitate educator sexual misconduct in Kentucky’s schools. The study’s author, Kotomi Yokokura, discusses the findings below. Between 2016 and 2021, 74 Kentucky educators had their licenses suspended, voluntarily surrendered, or permanently revoked by the Kentucky Education Professional Standard Board for educator sexual misconduct. Within these cases, over 120 students were affected. These students were as young as [...]

By |2025-02-04T12:00:43-05:00February 4th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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