By Pam Darnall Kentucky’s network of 15 child advocacy centers (CACs) is among the state’s best-kept secrets. Not because anyone intentionally seeks to hide or withhold information, but rather because of the too often unspoken nature of its work: helping child victims of sexual abuse. Last year, the state’s 15 CACs served more than 6,000 child victims of abuse – primarily sexual abuse, but some physical abuse cases as well – with multidisciplinary team investigations, forensic interviews, [...]

In the U.S. there are 2.7 million grandparents raising their grandchildren under age 18, with 55,000 of them in Kentucky alone. There are several reasons for grandparents to raise their grandchildren, including parental death, parental substance abuse, military deployment, child abuse and neglect, parental mental and physical health issues, and parental disability. Research tells us that grandparents raising their grandchildren, as well as other relatives raising kids, known as kinship care, is good for children [...]

For families at risk of child abuse and neglect, family preservation services work with caregivers to alleviate issues in a home and promote a safe home environment for the child. Children do best when they are in families, and we know that whenever possible, children should remain at home with their parents and when needed, receive services to preserve the family. In Kentucky, a large percentage of child victims of abuse and neglect have risk [...]

Kentucky has one of the highest rates in the nation of children being raised by grandparents and other relatives, also known as kinship care. Research tells us that this is the best option for children who cannot stay safely with their parents. Yet kinship care poses unique financial, emotional, and legal challenges. This Friday, KET’s Renee Shaw will explore the challenges facing kinship caregivers in Kentucky as part of her Connections series. She tells the [...]