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Bipartisan Federal Bills Aim to Better Support Foster Youth on Their Path to Adulthood

By Claire Elmore, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates While Kentucky’s 2026 legislative session has officially ended, federal lawmakers are still working on important legislation that could strengthen supports for young people with foster care experience.  On April 29th, the House Ways and Means Committee unanimously advanced six bipartisan bills to modernize the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood and the Education and Training Voucher program. The six bills [...]

By |2026-05-19T20:23:18-04:00May 19th, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education|
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Navigating the Community of Care: Kinship at the GAP Conference

At least 6% - twice the national average - of Kentucky kids are known to be in the care of relative or fictive kin caregivers, collectively known as kinship caregivers. Kinship caregivers are diverse, and each situation is different, but most of us came into it without enough preparation or support. The Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky exists to address this issue through education and policy recommendations.  This month, as part of the Coalition’s efforts [...]

By |2026-04-01T15:00:32-04:00April 1st, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Digging Into Nontraditional Placements and Impact on Children in Foster Care

Through State Auditor Allison Ball’s office, the Commonwealth Office of the Ombudsman recently released a new report examining Kentucky’s use of nontraditional placements (NTPs) for children in foster care. The Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet Office of the Inspector General released a separate report that provides additional context on the use of nontraditional placements and reinforces the challenges related to placement instability and gaps in the placement continuum.  Nontraditional placements occur when a child in [...]

By |2026-03-23T10:52:49-04:00March 23rd, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Statement on Auditor’s Report on Nontraditional Placements for Kentucky’s Foster Youth

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – State Auditor Allison Ball and Ombudsman Jonathan Grate once again exemplify how the Office of the Ombudsman can serve as a catalyst for change for some of Kentucky’s most vulnerable kids. In a report released today, decisionmakers and advocates can look deeper at the reality facing foster children in Nontraditional Placements (NTP) across the Commonwealth, such as [...]

By |2026-03-09T12:50:31-04:00March 9th, 2026|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, News Room|
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A Federal Spotlight on Foster Youth and What it Could Mean for Kentucky

Last month, the Trump administration released an Executive Order titled Fostering the Future for American Children and Families at a press conference with the President and First Lady, signaling that current foster youth and young people aging out of care are an important issue for the administration, and the First Lady in particular.  When announcing the order, the administration discussed and acknowledged the long-standing challenges within the foster care system, particularly for youth who transition [...]

By |2025-12-18T13:30:20-05:00December 18th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Thriving Families, Safer Children: Asking the Miracle Question

Have you ever heard of the “miracle question”? It’s a classic tool used in Solution-Focused Therapy, a method that centers on envisioning the desired future rather than dwelling on past difficulties. The therapist might ask: “If you went to sleep tonight and a miracle occurred while you were asleep which led to your problem being solved, what would you notice the next morning that would tell you this miracle had happened?” This question helps clients [...]

By |2025-10-23T13:45:56-04:00October 23rd, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Kinship Care Month and Showing Up for Caregivers in the Regional Collaboratives

Across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, grandparents, relatives and close friends of families step up to raise children when their parents are unable. We call them ‘kinship families’ and they are important members of communities who add to the strengths of our Commonwealth. September is Kinship Care Awareness Month – a time to recognize and celebrate kinship caregivers and all that they do to support and care for the children in their care.  Kentucky utilizes kinship [...]

By |2025-09-30T10:13:43-04:00September 30th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Why Kinship Education Matters: Strengthening Families Through Support and Connection

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to ensure that when children cannot remain safely in their parents’ care, they are placed with relatives (kin) or trusted family friends (fictive kin). These types of placements are preferred over entering the traditional foster care system since research shows that children in kinship care often experience more stability, maintain stronger connections to their family and culture, and have better long-term outcomes. To support this shift, [...]

By |2025-09-25T13:46:36-04:00September 25th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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From Separation to Strength: A Mother’s Journey

By: Brandi Woods, a member of KY SEAT There are moments in life that etch themselves into your soul. For me, one of those moments was the day my daughter was born. The other was the day she came back home to me after six months in the foster care system. If you’re a parent walking the painful road of separation, let me tell you: I see you. I know the ache in your chest, [...]

By |2025-06-25T12:56:01-04:00June 25th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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When Families are Torn Apart: Why Kentucky Parents Deserve Strong Legal Help

By: Brandi Woods, a member of KY SEAT "If it wouldn't have been for the attorney I had at the time… I may not have gotten custody of my daughter back." Every day in Kentucky, loving parents lose custody of their children—not because they’re abusive or dangerous, but because they couldn’t navigate the legal system alone. These are parents battling addiction, trauma, poverty, and judgment. And some of them are fighting without a lawyer who [...]

By |2025-06-10T12:39:56-04:00June 10th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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