Two bills filed in the Kentucky legislature, Senate Bill 60 sponsored by Senator Whitney Westerfield and House Bill 109 sponsored by Representative Joni Jenkins would permit courts to accommodate a child’s memory of repeated abuse, known as a continuous course of conduct. Here are 3 reasons why SB 60 and HB 109 would better protect child victims of repeated abuse: Currently, Kentucky courts require detailed information for a jury to agree on at least one [...]

Nationally, there has been an increase in the numbers of children in kinship care settings. These placements involve relatives stepping up to raise nieces, nephews, grandchildren and other kin when their parents can no longer raise the children themselves. Grandparents or other relatives often step up to raise children because of parental deployment, substance abuse issues, parental death, or mental or physical health issues. Kinship placements are a good alternative to children being placed into foster care [...]

Research suggests that children placed in family settings are more likely to have better health, developmental, and educational outcomes in comparison to those placed in residential facilities. Over the next few weeks we will be sharing various resources for children and families, tailored to the needs of each family setting. This week we’re highlighting resources to help parents and their children remain safe and together. Check out the available resources to strengthen Kentucky families below. [...]

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Ramadan, I think most of us would say “With family!” when reflecting on where we wanted to be during special holiday moments. The sentiment is no different for children in Kentucky’s child welfare system. Earlier this month we released a new issue brief, Every Kentucky Kid Needs a Family, focused on these children. We highlight the importance of keeping families together whenever possible and placing children who cannot stay with [...]

Every Kentucky kid needs a family and safe place to call home. Sadly, an increasing number of Kentucky children are at risk of finding themselves without a safe place to call home, as the number of Kentucky children in out-of-home care due to abuse or neglect grew by 19 percent from 2010 to 2014. If we want children who have experienced abuse or neglect to thrive, we need a quality continuum of care that gives [...]

November is National Adoption Month. The best way to understand the impact of adoption is to hear the stories of the people who have lived it. The stories below are from the perspectives of an adoptive parent and her daughter. Laura’s Story My husband and I were married nine years. For over five of those years, after finding out we could not have children of our own, we tried places to put our name in [...]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_fPn3DUTAU&feature=youtu.be All children deserve to grow up in a safe, loving, and permanent home. Children who have experienced abuse or neglect and enter into foster care should be placed with a family who can care for them and provide the support they need. Sadly, every year over the last several years there were more than 100,000 children in public foster care waiting to be adopted because they do not have the option of returning [...]

I still carry my green dot with me on my backpack. It was one of my first memories as a college freshman at the University of Kentucky—walking into the Student Center for a Green Dot training. The training, put on by the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center, introduced me and hundreds of fellow college students to a new perspective on preventing and responding to violence. The Green Dot program focuses on primary [...]