Parenting can be tough under normal circumstances but adding in extra obstacles that come with getting a family back together after child removal can be even more challenging. While foster care may be a necessary option when there are safety and well-being concerns, the ideal goal is to return children to their own families and back in their homes whenever safely possible.   During the month of June, Kentucky joined other states to recognize National [...]

Throughout the month of November 2020 there will be a round of nine virtual forums related to the federal Family First Prevention Services Act with the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Department for Community Based Services, and Kentucky Youth Advocates, in partnership with Casey Family Programs.  In the summer of 2019, the same groups hosted nine in-person regional forums to introduce Kentuckians to the Family First Prevention Services Act and get a better [...]

The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services recently publicly announced the federal government’s acceptance of the Kentucky Family First Prevention Plan. The Department for Community Based Services and others who have been awaiting patiently for approval quickly cheered and then went back to work. We at Kentucky Youth Advocates wanted to take a moment to pause and properly celebrate the major piece of the Child Welfare Transformation pie that will lend to keeping more [...]

By Emily Anderson, Kentucky Youth Advocates inten On October 1, 2019, Kentucky began implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 (FFPSA) to provide better services for families at risk of entering the child welfare system and to improve the well-being of those children that are already in foster care. In order to make the transition to this act easier, Congress has passed the Family First Transition and Support Act. The provisions of [...]

Children and teens involved in the child welfare system do best in families, where there is a safe and stable environment that supports their growth and well-being. Passage of the bipartisan federal Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 (Family First) took important steps to realign federal funding to ensure children in foster care are placed with families and to prioritize critical supports, such as mental health and substance abuse treatment, in-home parent skill-based programs, and [...]

This was originally posted as an op-ed by the Courier Journal on August 19, 2019.  By Keith Inman and Terry Brooks Kentucky’s kids owe a debt of gratitude to the Courier Journal’s editor, Rick Green, for making a considerable commitment of resources to focus on abuse and neglect in Kentucky. That gratitude extends to Debby Yetter, whose reporting prowess highlighted the multitude of factors that are contributing to the tragic state of this commonwealth when it comes to the [...]

Social workers and educators, judges and prosecutors, nonprofit leaders, state legislators, and many other advocates for Kentucky kids and families have been travelling near and far over the last few weeks to learn more about the federal Family First Prevention Services Act, implementation in Kentucky, and what it will mean for Kentucky families. The Family First Regional Convenings seek to share information about the federal legislation, anticipated changes in Kentucky over the coming months and [...]