Contact:
Mara Powell
502-895-8167 *122
mpowell@kyyouth.org

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services is moving forward with plans to make financial assistance payments to eligible relative and fictive kin caregivers of children placed in their home by the Cabinet after the October 2017 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. This announcement is profoundly good news for Kentucky kids and families. It certainly is aligned with Governor Matt Bevin’s broader positive budget focus on front-end supports for families, such as kinship care and family preservation. Given the urgency of kinship families’ needs, the specificity of the Sixth Circuit Court decision, and the rash of inquiries we at Kentucky Youth Advocates have received since the court’s original decision in April 2017, it is incumbent on the Cabinet to be vigilant in outreach and clear in communication with affected families. We appreciate the Cabinet providing instruction in their statement to families who may be eligible, which indicated caregivers should contact the Cabinet’s Kinship Support Hotline at 877-565-5608 or email DCBSChildProtection@ky.gov.