In recent years, Kentucky has begun using a new lens in order to address issues related to child maltreatment and abuse. This new lens focuses on child and family well-being, in order to provide families with the support and resources they need before a crisis occurs.
In 2022, Kentucky was selected as one of 22 sites to be a part of the Thriving Families, Safer Children national effort (TFSC). TFSC highlights the importance of community support and collaboration in order to keep families together and promote overall well-being, safety, and positive outcomes.
Here is a look at what TFSC Kentucky has been doing so far this year and what to look forward to within the coming months.
Department for Community Based Services:
Alternative Response
Alternative Response has been implemented in seven of the nine service regions. The regions that have implemented are Northeastern Service Region (Sept. 2023), Two Rivers Service Region (Oct. 2023), Cumberland Service Region (May 2024), Eastern Mountain Service Region (June 2024), Northern Bluegrass Service Region (July 2024), Salt River Trail Service Region (Dec. 2024), and Jefferson Service Region (Dec. 2024). The remaining two regions will be implementing in the fall of 2025.
Department for Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID)
KY SIX recently closed a grant opportunity that aims to increase equitable access to services and supports for children and youth at risk of or with serious emotional disabilities, specifically those with involvement in child welfare and/or juvenile justice systems. The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky will award up to 10 grants to support the implementation or expansion of programming in the provision of trauma-and grief-informed care services and supports, such as high-fidelity wraparound, other clinical services, peer support, and/or therapeutic non-clinical support.
Family Resource and Youth Service Center (FRYSC)
Family Resource and Youth Services Centers continue to offer support groups for relatives raising relatives and parents who want support. Many FRYSC coordinators are trained in the Parent Cafe model which promotes a changed relationship with parents/caregivers through discussions around Protective Factors and how they relate to families. Whether caregivers are seeking group support or one on one assistance with any non-academic barrier, Family Resource or Youth Services Center Coordinators can help – local schools will have contact information.
Fatherhood Engagement:
Commonwealth Center for Fathers and Families (CCFF)
- For the last six years, CCFF has hosted a statewide Fatherhood Summit. This year, CCFF is meeting communities where they are at by hosting Symposiums throughout the state. The first symposium took place in Western Kentucky on April 25th. Be on the lookout for a Regional Fatherhood Symposium near you!
- CCFF will launch their 8-week KYDaD Huddles on June 5th. These are designed to help engage fathers and help grow the culture of fatherhood – learn more about the KYDad Academy here.
- To learn more about the Fatherhood Academy, mini grants, and more visit https://www.ccffky.org.
Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky (PCAK):
Lean on Me Kentucky
Mickey Little was hired as the Lean On Me Kentucky Coordinator. The existing Lean On Me Kentucky curricula is being updated to reflect a general audience lens and will be promoted via the Upstream Prevention Academy whereby communities will have one person devoted to providing this content in their local community. Plans are also underway to develop localized campaigns in each community through the 120 in 120 days awareness initiative. 365 ways to be a “Community Supporter” has been developed and will include examples of Lean On Me in action.
Parent Engagement Summit
The next Parent Engagement Summit will take place on September 17,2025 after the Kids Are Worth It! Conference. The Kids Are Worth It! Conference, scheduled for September 15-16th at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, will include a parent engagement track with scholarships for a limited number of parents to attend. A toolkit is currently being developed outlining summit planning and outcomes.
The Administrative Office of the Courts:
Community Mapping (fka Upstream)
- A community mapping event was held on April 25th in Webster County and included Union and Crittenden counties. The community mapping model combines the Upstream Model, which focuses on child welfare and juvenile justice, and the Sequential Intercept Model, which focuses on adult populations. The Commission partnered with the National Center for State Courts to combine the two models to conduct mapping across the three systems (child welfare, juvenile and adult justice) at one time. This allows for maximized usage of time when a diverse group of community partners are together and prevents the need for multiple mapping sessions.
- This is the only model of its kind in the country – meaning Kentucky is the first trained by the National Center for State Courts on this approach and the only state spearheading this type of initiative.
Citizen Foster Care Review Board
Community forums will be conducted in June focusing on normalcy activities for children in foster care.
Kentucky Youth Advocates:
KY SEAT – Statewide Parent Advisory Council
KYSEAT has identified three advocacy goals for the council to work towards in 2025. KYSEAT will work in collaboration with DCBS, the Courts, and organizations across the state in order to fulfill the following goals:
- Optimize resources dedicated to supporting families and ensure services are responsive to the needs of families.
- End child removal based on a parent or guardian’s experience of domestic violence.
- Increase coordination and transparency between systems involved in child protection/ child welfare.
Learning Action Network
DCBS along with KYA and lived experts, are developing an action plan with the goal to authentically engage youth with lived experience across the commonwealth in training opportunities to provide leadership skills and other essential skills.
Truth and Reconciliation: Truth Telling Circles
This third year of the Truth Telling Circle (TTC) grant provides an opportunity for young adults, with a foster care history, to share their experiences through art and to connect with people who have the power to create change. Each circle features a Q & A segment, allowing participants to interact directly with the young adults – learn more here. TTCs help Black, Latino, and Native families avoid unnecessary child welfare system involvement.
Regional Prevention Collaboratives
The nine regions are actively working on putting action behind the identified action plans. Looking across all regions, there are common trends that have been identified. Through collaboration, regions are sharing ideas and materials with other Prevention Collaboratives in order to address these common issues. One of the main areas that multiple regions seem to be experiencing is issues surrounding truancy and educational neglect – stay tuned for a KYA blog post that highlights this issue.
Kentucky Partnership for Families and Children:
- KPFC is hosting its annual Children’s Behavioral Health Acceptance Day event on Thursday, May 8th from 10am to 2pm EST at Capital City Christian Church in Frankfort – please join us for this celebratory event, by registering here. (*Lunch will be provided; meal count required)
- KPFC held an in-person peer gathering event (“Be The We”) April 4th-6th, during which activities included a Family Cafe for parents/caregivers and a Youth Cafe for youth. Feedback from both sessions was extremely positive!
- KPFC hosted the last of its three-part “Be The We” virtual Lunch & Learn series focused around the Family Thrive Protective Factors on Tuesday, April 29th. Learn more here.
- KPFC has entered into a contractual partnership with the AOC to elevate the role of youth and parent lived expertise in AOC trainings and activities. Should you know a youth or parent who may be interested in sharing their voice with others – especially as it relates to former foster care, DJJ, and/or AOC experience – please contact Tami Blevins, KPFC Executive Director, at tblevins@kypartnership.org.
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