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Statement on Passage of SB 48 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 – Increasing transparency and accountability within child welfare cases is one step closer today with passage of Senate Bill 48 by the House Families & Children Committee. Among several other components to boost efficiency within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, this measure will relocate the Ombudsman’s Office to the state Auditor’s Office – a move that is [...]

By |2023-03-09T08:26:07-05:00March 9th, 2023|Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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Statement on Passage of SB 135 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 – Today, we’re celebrating as the House Families & Children Committee passes Senate Bill 135 to strengthen mental health supports postpartum. Maternal health and well-being play a key role in the healthy development of a child at every stage. As SB 135 advances to the House floor for final consideration, the Commonwealth is one step closer to ensuring new [...]

By |2023-03-09T08:07:49-05:00March 9th, 2023|Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, News Room, Race Equity|
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Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky in 2023 and Beyond: What to Expect

2023 marks the third year of Kentucky’s participation as a child welfare jurisdiction site for the Thriving Families, Safer Children movement. With the recent addition of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to the national partnership roster, the Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky effort continues to make strides toward rethinking how America protects children and supports families.  What can we expect from Thriving Families, [...]

By |2023-06-13T10:11:44-04:00March 7th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Race Equity|
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Statement on Passage of SB 229 by the Kentucky Senate

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – At 6th in the nation in the rate of child maltreatment, the Commonwealth has made progress but still has a long way to go in child maltreatment prevention efforts. Yet, we can celebrate today as Kentucky is one step closer to closing gaps in abuse reporting laws and strengthening how we support families at risk. Senate Bill [...]

By |2023-03-03T10:59:49-05:00March 3rd, 2023|Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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Statement on Kentucky House Passage of HB 470

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Today was a seminal moment in the Kentucky House. The question at hand: Is the House committed to all of Kentucky's kids or just some of Kentucky's kids? We are appreciative of the "NO" votes on HB 470 from the House Democratic caucus members to be sure. And a special thanks is merited for those House Republicans who also [...]

By |2023-03-02T16:39:33-05:00March 2nd, 2023|Child Welfare & Safety, Health, News Room|
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“I wish for my story of paralyzing fear, shame, and loneliness resulting from abuse by my teacher to be the last in Kentucky.”

By Kotomi Yokokura, BASW Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates I was in high school when my teacher began texting me during and outside of school hours. He would work to gain my trust, offering me homemade food and taking interest in my personal life, all behind the closed doors of his office. While I did not know it at the time, these texts and one on one meetings would be the beginning stages of grooming [...]

By |2023-03-02T15:43:36-05:00March 2nd, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Protecting the Mental Heath and Well-being of LGBTQ+ Youth

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Everyone has had struggles over the past few years, but kids have been hit especially hard.  During the pandemic, life was upended for them, and it has furthered the increase in mental health concerns among children and youth. For instance, in 2020, 15.9% of children and teens struggled with anxiety or depression, and in 2022, as many [...]

By |2023-03-02T17:26:18-05:00March 2nd, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health|
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Statement on Passage of HB 21 by the Kentucky House

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Youth experiencing homelessness while unaccompanied by an adult deserve the ability to find stability and escape poverty, yet they face significant barriers required to obtain essential documents, such as an ID. House Bill 21, sponsored by Representative Randy Bridges, seeks to address just that by updating Kentucky’s homeless ID law to allow unaccompanied homeless youth to get [...]

By |2023-03-01T14:46:17-05:00March 1st, 2023|Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, News Room, Race Equity|
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Statement on Passage of SB 229 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 – While there has been a 33 percent reduction in child victims of maltreatment from 2017 to 2021, there were nearly 15,000 victims of child maltreatment in the Commonwealth in 2021. Keeping kids safe is an adult responsibility – whether that’s prevention, recognition, or reporting, we all have a role to play in addressing Kentucky’s high rate of [...]

By |2023-02-28T09:21:42-05:00February 28th, 2023|Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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Statement on Passage of SB 135 by the Kentucky Senate

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Parents need to be healthy, have access to the care and services they need, and have the necessary resources to meet basic needs throughout their pregnancy, birth, and after welcoming a new child. And the reality is, at least 1 in 8 women experience postpartum depression, which impacts the growth and development of their baby, too. Effectively [...]

By |2023-02-24T11:00:58-05:00February 24th, 2023|Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, News Room, Race Equity|
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