state-of-face-it-cover-slideKentucky Youth Advocates is a proud member of the Kosair Charities® Face It® Movement, a coalition of nearly 30 partner organizations committed to ending child abuse and neglect in Kentucky.

Face It’s efforts to end child abuse can be seen from classrooms to the Capitol building, and the Movement’s recent 2016 progress report recaps the policy wins that will keep more children safe from abuse and neglect:

 

2013 Win

  • Advocated for a panel to reduce child abuse deaths – HB 290 put into law a panel to review child abuse deaths, improve practices in the child welfare system, and prevent future child abuse deaths.

2014 Wins

  • Helped reduce child deaths from pediatric abusive head trauma – HB 157 equips doctors with education on how to recognize early warning signs of pediatric abusive head trauma and successfully intervene.
  • Secured funding for the child fatality review pane l– Funding for the panel allows it to more closely review child abuse death tragedies and develop recommendations to help prevent future deaths from occurring.

2015 Wins

  • Equipped all educators with information on how to recognize and report child abuse – SB 119 ensures all public school educators receive training about child abuse and neglect so they can help protect children.
  • Protected teens and children from effects of dating violence – HB 8 extends protective orders to victims of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This protects many teens in dating relationships and children whose parents experience violence in dating relationships.

2016 Win

  • Broadened the scope of a child’s testimony in court – SB 60 allows courts to consider a child’s more generalized testimony about a pattern of abuse, known as a continuous course of conduct.

While Face It has seen much policy success since it began, much work remains to ensure policies are in place to keep children safe. Additional Face It policy recommendations will be on the 2017 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children, and we call on elected officials to continue to step up for kids’ safety in the 2017 legislative session.