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Understanding Trauma and Practicing Self-Care to Build Resiliency

By Emily Burden and Kayce Dallas, MSSW interns at Kentucky Youth Advocates Trauma has no boundaries. A baby who grew up with domestic violence in their home has experienced a traumatic event. A child who has been sexually abused has experienced a traumatic event. A youth who survived a severe hurricane has experienced a traumatic event. Because trauma can impact anyone, it is important that we approach individuals with a trauma-informed care lens. It's also important [...]

By |2020-10-23T11:03:23-04:00October 22nd, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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Racial Disparities in Foster Care and Why It Matters for Kentucky Youth

By Danielle Hempel, MSSW Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates Children in the foster care system are among our most vulnerable youth due to the trauma many have experienced and the potential for that trauma to be exacerbated by the stressors of foster care. Therefore, it is particularly troubling that racial disparities exist within the foster care system. Numerous studies have found that once involved in the child welfare system, Black children are much more likely to [...]

By |2020-10-22T12:16:23-04:00October 22nd, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Race Equity|
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OP-ED: From Neighbors to Dentists, How Everyone Can Help Keep Our Kids Safe

This was originally posted as an op-ed by the Courier Journal, Herald Leader, Kentucky Today, and NKY Tribune. By Dr. Laura Hancock Jones, Dr. Christina Howard, and Keith Inman In the last seven months, Kentuckians have heard a lot about how, even in these unprecedented times of physical distancing, we can come together to help protect our family and neighbors from the spread of COVID-19 and stay connected so no one feels alone. Dr. Christina Howard As [...]

By |2020-10-06T12:47:51-04:00October 6th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Congress, “Pay Attention to the Road” and Invest in Kids NOW!

The actress Andie MacDowell observes what we all know. She suggests, “We've become such a multitasking society that just paying attention to the road doesn't seem to be that important anymore. I have to remind my kids all the time that that's what you're supposed to be doing in the car.” MacDowell’s assertion is surely true when it comes to parents and paying attention to the road of home life. In this pandemic, working remotely, [...]

By |2020-10-01T14:15:25-04:00September 30th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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Statement on Bill Filing to Enact Paid Family Leave for State Employees

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates The word “unicorn” is more than those one-horned flying horses my granddaughter loves, more than the term applied to start-up tech companies that boomed in 1990s, and more than unicorn quarterback Lamar Jackson – it is anything that is rare and valuable. Today we joined diverse community partners in an announcement about a unicorn of a public policy proposal – [...]

By |2020-09-16T12:03:25-04:00September 16th, 2020|Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, News Room|
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Save the Dates: Children’s Advocacy Week at the Capitol February 1st-5th

For 16 years advocates for kids have gathered in Frankfort for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol. On Children’s Advocacy Day, advocates fill the halls of the Capitol and ask their elected officials to step up for Kentucky kids—leading to many policy wins and building awareness of issues facing kids and their families. Children’s Advocacy Day is critical to building a brighter future for Kentucky kids. Amidst COVID-19, the strains on families, communities, and the [...]

By |2020-09-29T13:55:49-04:00September 14th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Youth Justice|
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Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky Releases Resource Handbook for Kinship Caregivers

Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky Releases Resource Handbook for Kinship CaregiversNew reference guide includes tips and information for Kentucky’s thousands of kinship familiesLOUISVILLE, Kentucky — A new handbook, created by the Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky in collaboration with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Office, features resources for grandparents and relative caregivers navigating Kentucky’s child welfare system and caring for vulnerable children.In A Kentucky Grandparent and Relative Caregiver Handbook, caregivers will find information on [...]

By |2021-08-31T13:56:32-04:00September 9th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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‘Growing Up in Foster Care is What Makes My College Experience More Difficult’

By Tyler Hunter I am Kentucky born and raise – yea, I am proud of it, too. I am also proud of the life I was chosen to live. Because of my biological mother’s substance abuse in the 1990’s, I was placed in kinship care after 3 days entering this world. Throughout my childhood, I was placed with many other relatives. Eventually, at the age of 13, I was placed into the foster care system. [...]

By |2020-09-08T11:05:07-04:00September 2nd, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Education|
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Making Kids Count in the 2020 Election!

There are no shortage of concerns on the minds of Kentuckians as we prepare to vote this November. This will be a consequential election. The local, state, and federal leaders we select will determine policy that will impact our daily lives for what may be generations to come. But how often do we pause to consider--specifically--how our choices at the ballot box will impact us, and particularly young children who depend on us to make [...]

By |2020-10-22T15:04:04-04:00August 26th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Looking for Child Care? Make Sure It’s Good for Your Kids.

This week, Governor Beshear announced a request to school districts to delay opening for in-person classes until the end of September. While many of us are accustomed to uncertainty these days, it put a new urgency on many parents to figure out viable child care options. Many families were anticipating schools reopening as an opportunity for kids to get the social interaction and educational support they have been missing for months on end, but let’s [...]

By |2020-08-26T16:51:52-04:00August 13th, 2020|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health|
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