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

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

When children cannot remain safely with their parents, relatives and close family friends often step up to help care for them. Undertaking the full-time responsibility for raising a child – or children – who have experienced trauma often include physical, emotional, social, legal, and financial challenges for caregivers. These families need and deserve support so they can best care for Kentucky’s most vulnerable children.

House Bill 628, sponsored by Speaker Pro Tem David Meade, ensures a focus on the stability and permanency of children in foster care, whether they are placed with a relative caregiver or foster parent. The measure also ensures kinship caregivers receive information about child-specific foster homes and the supports available. It also ensures these caregivers receive the one-time Relative Placement Support Benefit immediately, which is critical to these families to purchase essential items, such as clothing, bedding, formula, and school supplies. This crucial support can help ease the transition for the child and caregiver – especially when placement is often without notice or preparation.

We applaud Representative Meade for championing HB 628 and the House Health and Family Services Committee for supporting its passage today. We call on the Kentucky House to support this measure and on the full Kentucky General Assembly to ensure adequate funding supports for kinship families.

Stay up-to-date on Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priorities and other bills that are good for kids on our Kentucky General Assembly Bill Tracker.

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About Kentucky Youth Advocates
Kentucky Youth Advocates believes all children deserve to be safe, healthy, and secure. As THE independent voice for Kentucky’s children, we work to ensure policymakers create investments and policies that are good for children. Learn more at www.kyyouth.org.