This post originally appeared on Kentucky Youth Advocates on August 9, 2022 Thousands of young adults exit foster care, often without the preparation or support they need to succeed in adulthood. With limited resources and services, their paths can lead to homelessness, more trauma, and [...]
True Up hosted our annual Charrette on July 19th, and we’re delighted to share our highlights from the day! Hosting the Charrette allows us to share valuable updates from True Up and to create a space for collaboration, where we can hear from dedicated community partners. This year, the [...]
True Up and Kentucky Youth Advocates like to find new ways to advocate. So, we often find ourselves in new projects that all have an end goal of improving the child welfare system. We are currently working on a grant, known as the Journey to Success campaign, that seeks [...]
This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Herald Leader on May 27, 2022. By Tia Humphrey, Lynn Rippy, and Nikki Thornton 1 in 3. 1 in 3 young adults with a foster care experience face housing instability in Kentucky. That’s 1 in 3 young people with their livelihood and [...]
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 [...]
