Statement on Passage of SB 48 by the Kentucky Senate
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kentucky continues to make strides in the ways in which we address child maltreatment reports and investigations to better serve the kids and families impacted. The Kentucky Senate once again demonstrated that commitment with passage of Senate Bill 48. SB 48, sponsored by Senator Stephen Meredith, aims to improve transparency and functioning of the Ombudsman’s Office, among several other components to boost efficiency within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. The bill proposes relocating the Ombudsman’s Office to the state Auditor’s Office [...]
Statement on Passage of HB 21 by the House Transportation Committee
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – An ID is necessary to drive a car, get a job, open a bank account, apply for government benefits, sign a lease, qualify for a loan, pick up a prescription, and even access homeless shelters. Yet, young people experiencing homelessness face challenges to obtaining this form of identification, such as parental consent requirements. House Bill 21, sponsored by Representative Randy Bridges, addresses this barrier for homeless youth unaccompanied by an adult hoping to find stability and escape poverty. Many of the unaccompanied [...]
Statement on Approval of Updated KTAP Regulations by the Kentucky General Assembly
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kinship families across the Commonwealth are giving three cheers for the approval of the updated KTAP regulations, which boost supports for the first time in decades. The Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (KTAP) is a vital support that helps Kentucky families in deep poverty and kinship caregivers overcome barriers to employment, such as a lack of training or child care, and meet their basic needs through direct cash assistance. While KTAP is critical for many of our vulnerable Kentucky families, the regulations are [...]
Statement on Passage of HB 3 by the House Judiciary Committee
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – House Bill 3 undoubtedly is going to move through the House with the speed of a missile. Its impact? Depending on its final form, it carries the ambiguity of that Chinese spy balloon. There is no question that HB 3 is a much-improved approach to juvenile justice than we heard discussed during the 2022 legislative session. And we especially appreciate the listening posture of key leaders on this issue like Representatives Bratcher and Nemes. I am especially appreciative, for example, of changes around truancy and a more informed commitment [...]
Statement on Passage of SB 48 by the Senate Families & Children Committee
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – The child welfare system, and specifically the process of substantiation of abuse and neglect, is complex, involves multiple departments, and can be subjective. When people feel the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) did not take appropriate steps or make the right decisions in child abuse cases, they may contact the Ombudsman’s office to file a complaint. However, currently the Ombudsman’s office that takes complaints for child abuse cases is housed within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), meaning that [...]
Statement on the Latest National Child Maltreatment Report
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kentucky’s future depends heavily on the success and safety of our kids today. Our communities, child-serving systems, and policies all play a role in that future. The just released Child Maltreatment 2021 report is a powerful affirmation of the Commonwealth's progress around child maltreatment and an equally powerful challenge to accelerate that momentum. Kentucky now ranks 6th in the nation in child victims of maltreatment with a rate of 14.7 per 1,000 children. While there has been a 33% reduction in victims [...]
Governor Beshear and Senator Raque Adams Join Hundreds of Youth and Advocates for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol
Louisville, KY – Hundreds of youth advocates from across Kentucky are convening this week for Children’s Advocacy Week. They are urging elected leaders to support the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children, a unified agenda for child advocates across the Commonwealth. Today, youth, state leaders, and advocates gathered in the Capitol Rotunda for the Rally for Kentucky Kids – the first in-person rally with child advocates since January 2020. “Each year, Children’s Advocacy Week is a time for youth, parents, social workers, faith leaders, teachers, pediatricians, child care providers, community leaders, and many others to unite to ask our state leaders to make children a priority during [...]
Statement on Passage of SCR 31 to Establish a Legislative Workgroup on Juvenile Justice
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Way to go, David Givens! As emotions and rhetoric heat up around juvenile justice, Senator Givens has architected a thoughtful and reflective approach to address what is, indeed, a crisis in the Commonwealth. The legislative working group – a step closer to being established with today's Senate vote on Senate Concurrent Resolution 31 – will assess a need for the state to operate a Louisville juvenile detention facility, develop policy to ensure the safety of staff and juveniles in facilities, provide Department [...]
Statement on Governor Beshear’s 2023 State of the Commonwealth Address
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – In his far-ranging State of the Commonwealth Address, the Governor raised some key issues related to the well-being of Kentucky’s kids – from health to education to community safety to workforce. As well as the ongoing impacts of crises that Kentucky's kids have lived through across the Commonwealth – from natural disasters to a global pandemic. First, I am pleased to see that he is calling for changes in the juvenile justice system. That arena is not just problematic – it is [...]
OP-ED: There is common ground in the juvenile justice continuum of interventions
This post originally appeared as an op-ed by The Herald Leader on December 29, 2022. By Dr. Terry Brooks The country music sensation and Lexington’s own, Chris Stapleton, suggests, “Everybody’s got a story on their beards. I guess it’s just a way of finding common ground.” Maybe Governor Beshear, President Stivers, and Speaker Osborne – and maybe even the Chief Justice – should grow beards so the Commonwealth can find a common ground when it comes to juvenile justice. Based on the reporting of John Cheves and Tessa Duvall, the juvenile justice system is not short on challenges. And as [...]