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Statement on Passage of Senate Bill 102 by the Senate Education Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director, Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Senate Education Chairman Max Wise and the Kentucky General Assembly have a track record of pragmatically approaching the complex issue of safety of students in schools. In 2019, the School Safety and Resiliency Act thoughtfully balanced the well-being of students with their physical safety by prioritizing access to mental health services and promoting trauma-informed environments. During this time [...]

By |2022-02-10T12:28:45-05:00February 10th, 2022|Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Education, News Room, Race Equity|
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Kentucky Is No Longer #1 in Child Maltreatment

By Shontelle Davis, MSSW intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates According to findings within the latest US Department of Health and Human Services annual Child Maltreatment Report, Kentucky no longer has the highest child victimization rate in the nation. Among all 50 states, Kentucky now has the 5th highest rate of child maltreatment as opposed to its number 1 spot in 2019.  With Senate Bill 8 being voted out of the Kentucky Senate and the release [...]

By |2022-02-14T09:47:26-05:00February 8th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Statement on Passage of Senate Bill 97 by the Kentucky Senate

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org LOUISVILLE, KY – One child who has experienced abuse or neglect, is one child too many – and a child fatality or near fatality should never happen in the first place. Yet, in 2020, there were 22 fatalities and 53 near fatalities due to substantiated cases of abuse or neglect in Kentucky. As the Commonwealth continues to reform the child welfare system, a critical component that must be considered is following the [...]

By |2022-02-07T17:31:34-05:00February 7th, 2022|Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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Statement on Passage of Senate Bill 8 by the Kentucky Senate

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org LOUISVILLE, KY – The Kentucky General Assembly has a notable track record of stepping up for children who have experienced abuse or neglect, and that commitment continued today as the Kentucky Senate supported passage of Senate Bill 8, sponsored by Senator Julie Raque Adams. SB 8 will impact children across the child welfare continuum – from child maltreatment prevention to investigation to healing and foster care. This legislation will create a uniform [...]

By |2022-02-02T15:11:16-05:00February 2nd, 2022|Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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Community Input: Jail Practices to Support Children Visiting Incarcerated Parents

Kids rely on their parents to provide a safe home where all of their emotional, physical, and financial needs can be met. Unfortunately, in Kentucky more than one in 10 children have had a parent separated from them due to incarceration—the 6th highest rate in the nation.  Parental incarceration is an Adverse Childhood Experience that has been referred to as a “shared sentence” due to the short and long-term effects it has on a child’s [...]

By |2022-01-27T17:14:13-05:00January 27th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Justice, Race Equity|
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Celebrating the 2022 Champions for Children

Elected leaders and advocates step up for Kentucky kids in countless ways every day, especially in Frankfort throughout the legislative session. During Children’s Advocacy Week, Kentucky Youth Advocates and partners in the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children present Champion for Children and Step Up for Kids awards to honor those state leaders and advocates for their efforts. At this year’s Rally for Kentucky Kids, we honored several members of the 2022 Kentucky General Assembly for [...]

By |2022-01-28T11:33:35-05:00January 20th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Statement on the Governor and the House State Budget Proposals

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – In Kentucky, we are used to arguing about dollars and cents in budgets that are restrictive, limited, and far too scarce – and that is tough work. This year, we are learning that arguing about dollars and cents in a budget that has unprecedented one-time federal dollars is also tough work. The needs of Kentucky’s kids simply [...]

By |2022-01-17T10:22:11-05:00January 14th, 2022|Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Medicaid, News Room, Race Equity|
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2022 State Budget Checklist for Kentucky Kids

It’s week two of Kentucky’s 60-day legislative session! The end of week 1 unveiled a budget proposed by the Kentucky House of Representatives, which signals the fast-track nature of the 2022 budget process. This week, the Governor outlined his budget proposals for pre-K-12 education and health care.  As the week continues, we will hear the remaining components of the Governor’s budget proposal during his budget address on Thursday, January 13 at 7:00 PM ET, as [...]

By |2022-01-14T11:35:33-05:00January 10th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Medicaid, Race Equity|
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OP-ED: A New Year’s resolution for the Kentucky General Assembly

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on January 2, 2022. By Dr. Terry Brooks This time of year, we all waver between setting New Year’s resolutions and simply dismissing the process as an inevitable failure. (Really?  No snacks after 8 p.m.?  I’m going to learn a new hobby?  And, of course, I’ll be at the gym by 6 a.m. at least four mornings a week!) But “Psychology Today” lists several reasons why setting [...]

By |2024-04-25T12:29:29-04:00January 3rd, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Statement on Governor’s Announcement on the DCBS Workforce

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Social workers play a critical role in the child welfare system by protecting the well-being of children and supporting families in need. Today, Governor Andy Beshear recognized that necessity by announcing the steps his Administration will be taking to reduce turnover within the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services and improve retention of a strong workforce. Each [...]

By |2021-12-08T15:07:36-05:00December 8th, 2021|Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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