True Up is an initiative to empower young people in foster care to gain critical life skills and help them transition from agency care to independent living. It is a caring family of foster care alumni who have faced the challenges of getting jobs, continuing their education, overcoming the [...]
By Tamara Vest This year, the Voices of the Commonwealth (VOC) set policy initiatives for young people in foster care. Those initiatives included amendments to the foster youth bill of rights to promote inclusivity for young people in several ways. They also advocated for changes to Kentucky’s extended foster care [...]
May is National Foster Care Awareness Month, a time to acknowledge the 463,000 children and youth in foster care and the family members, foster parents, volunteers, mentors, child welfare professionals, and policymakers who help them find permanent homes and connections. It is also a time to join forces and renew [...]
Kentucky Youth Advocates, in partnership with Casey Family Programs and True Up Kentucky, is launching a new project focused on foster care alumni and their experiences in residential care or institutional settings* while in the child welfare system. Our researchers include foster care alumni, helping shape questions and facilitate conversations. [...]
By: Cynthia Schepers National Nutrition Month® is an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, everyone is invited to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and physical activity habits. As someone who suffers from multiple mental health disorders, [...]
By: Eltuan Dawson Research suggests that in an estimated 30 to 60% of the families where domestic violence is identified, some form of co-occurring child maltreatment is also present. The following guest blog post discusses how a program offered to Kentucky youth and young adults teaches the importance of seeking [...]
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org For immediate release: February 24, 2022 Louisville, KY — Kentucky Youth Advocates announced today a $140,000 grant from Prevent Child Abuse America® (PCA America) and the Annie E. Casey Foundation through the Thriving Families, Safer Children, Youth, Family and Community Partnership Grants to support our work focused on child and [...]
The Face It Movement was joined by Dr. David Lohr, Medical Director at the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and professor at the University of Louisville; Susan Vickers of the Aetna Better Health of Kentucky SKY Program; and Eltuan Dawson, True Up Peer Network Member, for a discussion on psychotropic medications and [...]
This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on December 15, 2021 By Cynthia Schepers. My name is Cynthia Schepers and I am one of the “young adults” who helped lead the research on young adult access to behavioral health supports alongside the Coalition Supporting Young Adults, or CSYA for [...]
The 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book examines data disaggregated by race/ethnicity, the impacts of systemic racial injustice on children and families, and solutions to advance racial equity so that every child can thrive. The 31st edition of this publication also features the latest data on 17 measures of child well-being, [...]
