Kentucky’s Thriving Families, Safer Children Efforts

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|

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|

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|

Regional Prevention Collaboratives Respond to Kentucky’s Child Care Needs

When you ask families in Kentucky what they need most, reliable child care frequently sits at the top of the list. Long waitlists, high costs, and the absence of providers make it harder for parents to work and for children to thrive in safe, supportive environments. These challenges not only strain family stability but can also increase risk of unnecessary involvement with the child welfare system when stress and unmet needs escalate. Recognizing this, Regional [...]

By |2025-08-28T11:22:16-04:00August 28th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Celebrating Community Collaboration: Spotlight on the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities’ (DBHDID) Work Supporting Kentucky Families

As the Kentucky Thriving Families, Safer Children  (TFSCKY) initiative prepares to enter its fifth year, we’re proud to reflect on the remarkable efforts of our partners who share our mission of supporting families before a crisis occurs. At the heart of TFSCKY is a simple but powerful belief: by providing community support and increasing collaboration, we can keep families together and promote overall well-being, safety, and positive outcomes.  This month, we are spotlighting the Department [...]

By |2025-07-30T16:31:48-04:00July 30th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health|

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|

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|

Reunification Is Possible: The Power of Someone Walking With You

By Kayla Harmon, a member of KY SEAT Reunification—the process of bringing a family back together after separation—can feel like an uphill battle. It’s overwhelming, emotional, and filled with obstacles that sometimes seem too heavy to bear. But here’s the truth: you can succeed. And one of the greatest factors in that success is having someone walk beside you—someone who believes in you even when you’re struggling to believe in yourself. You Weren’t Meant to [...]

By |2025-06-25T12:51:07-04:00June 2nd, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

Connection to Support: How Regional Prevention Collaboratives are Prioritizing Family Needs

When it comes to preventing child abuse and keeping families from unnecessarily engaging with the child welfare system, economic and concrete supports are essential. In Kentucky, many of the Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky Regional Prevention Collaborative teams noted that knowledge of and access to supports and resources for families is a need within their community, including transportation, child care, housing, and access to service providers. The need for these supports and resources were highlighted [...]

By |2025-05-29T15:20:59-04:00May 29th, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|

The Key to Success in Foster Care: Inclusion and Communication

By Kayla Harmon, a member of KY SEAT Having a child in foster care is one of the most heart-wrenching and complex experiences a biological parent can go through. It’s not just a separation from your child; it’s a journey full of emotional ups and downs, personal growth, and—most importantly—learning to trust in a system that will hopefully bring your family back together.  But one thing is certain: the key to success in this process [...]

By |2025-05-22T14:56:58-04:00May 21st, 2025|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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