Category: PCAK Staff

Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky recently announced our public policy priorities for 2023 at the state and federal levels. You can read through them below.

State

1. Lead: Prohibiting Corporal Punishment in the schools
2. Support: Child abuse and neglect education in schools
3. Support: Addressing agencies have a chain of command for child abuse and neglect reports
4. Support: Ensure appropriate reporting of child abuse and neglect across reporting agencies when an alleged perpetrator is an employee
5. Support: Address Statute of Limitations related to sexual assault
6. Support: Efforts to increase child care, family supports, etc.

Federal

1. Child Abuse Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA) increase
2. Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) increase
3. The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) Respect Act (S. 2238 and H.R. 4151)
4. HR3788 (VA Child Care Protection Act)
5. Advocate for strengthening charitable giving incentives by expanding an “above-the-line”/universal deduction of 1/3 of the standard deduction
6. Protecting our Student in Schools Act of 2020 Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act of 2019
7. Promote PCAK policy statement regarding tech companies “going dark” on technology relating to graphic child images

If you would like to download a document with our public policy priorities, you can do that on our digital downloads page.

(Lexington, KY) – Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky (PCAK) has announced Bill Londrigan, President of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO, Jeff Wiggins, Secretary-Treasurer of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO, and Steve Barger, former Business Manager of the Kentucky District Council of Carpenters were selected to present a workshop detailing their partnership with PCAK to a national audience. The workshop took place virtually earlier this month and included Jill Seyfred, Executive Director of PCAK.

 

The leaders presented information on their long-standing partnership which has spanned more than three decades and has resulted in volunteers, outreach, awareness, advocacy and over $550,000 raised to promote statewide child abuse prevention efforts. The workshop was included as part of Prevent Child Abuse America’s national conference “Transforming Our Tomorrow.” President Londrigan commented “The partnership organized labor has with Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky is a model to be replicated throughout the nation, and we were pleased to share proof of how organized labor is committed to building strong families.”

 

The conference attracted more than 2,000 people from throughout the nation.

 

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Founded in 1987, Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky is the leading statewide child abuse prevention organization. They are the Kentucky chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America and offer statewide programs and services. Learn more by visiting www.pcaky.org.

(Lexington, KY) – COVID-19’s impact on children and families across Kentucky is evident. With each closure or decrease in capacity of child care centers across the state, parents and caregivers have been forced to seek alternative forms of care.  

As of July 2020, 344 child care centers and family child care facilities have closed their doors for good, and of the facilities remaining open, enrollment has plummeted with an average decrease of 64 percent. For some families, access to child care close to home was never an option with nearly half of all Kentuckians living in a “child care desert.” 

Statewide nonprofit Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky (PCAK) aims to provide parents and caregivers with peace of mind as they seek new and alternative forms of child care. With a grant from the Berea College Appalachian Fund, PCAK will provide free background checks on babysitters and nannies for eligible families. 

“We want to empower parents and caregivers to make the right decisions for their children,” said Executive Director Jill Seyfred. “Building resilience in families begins with support systems like access to safe child care, and we hope this will allow families peace of mind in this difficult season.”

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), access to safe child care and the ability to hold employment are key factors in preventing child abuse and neglect. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents in Kentucky have experienced long periods of unemployment largely due to lack of access to child care. 

“Our mission is to improve the general education, health and physical well being of people living in the Appalachian Mountains and surrounding areas,” said David Cooke, Appalachian Fund Director. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to support families and children in a time when it is needed most.”

For more information about this initiative or to apply for a background check, please visit pcaky.org/backgroundchecks. PCAK also provides guidance for parents and caregivers seeking safe child care providers in one of their latest resources: “How to Choose a Safe Child Care Provider or Caregiver.”

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Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky understands, respects, and reinforces the global responsibility to adapt or cancel large in-person events and gatherings to protect participants and our communities at large. Much like child abuse and neglect prevention, mitigating the impact of COVID-19 requires each of us to play a role.

Given the current increase in COVID-19 infections and related deaths in the Commonwealth, and based on the CDC’s projections for continued high rates of the same in the coming months, PCAK strongly recommends individuals and organizations do not host and/or attend large in-person Pinwheels for Prevention events leading up to and during April, Child Abuse Prevention Month.  There will be no public planting of pinwheels on the grounds of the Capitol this year, and PCAK staff will “plant” only if we can be assured of our safety and social distancing.  We encourage everyone to participate in our Home Kit Planting Day (date to be determined) and Wear Blue Day on April 1^st. Additionally, we are thrilled to be able to participate in a national dynamic virtual pinwheel garden, hosted by Prevent Child Abuse America, which will be released in early March. We actively encourage our partners to participate in these smaller and/or virtual options this year.

We will continue to assess the situation and issue updated guidance if warranted.

~Your Partners at Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky

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Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky has recently released our newest resource: The Home Safety Check-List. This resource is available for parents, caregivers, professionals and advocates looking for more information about how to make their home safe for children of any age. From storing medications, to bath safety, the Home Safety Check-List provides guidance on a variety of common concerns for children and families. 

(Lexington, KY) – A local grassroots movement based in Union County will be recognized for their efforts in child abuse and neglect prevention by statewide nonprofit Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky (PCAK) on October 28.

Union County We Educate to End Child Abuse and Neglect (UCWEECAN) will receive one of six 2020 Partner in Prevention awards from PCAK. The grassroots movement, comprised  of retired and professional social service providers, educators, foster care review board volunteers and others interested in child welfare has been “the hands and feet of PCAK in Union county” since its humble beginnings eight years ago, according to PCAK Director of Operations and Prevention Education, Janna Estep Jordan.

“We are truly humbled and honored to receive this award,” said UCWEECAN organizer and leader, Lark Buckman. “It is our sincere hope the work of UCWEECAN will impact future generations of Union County leaders and families.”

Penetrating the local community with child abuse prevention awareness and education campaigns, UCWEECAN has become a pillar of support for local schools, families and children throughout Union County, encouraging its residents to get involved in prevention and to protect their county’s children.

“The work of UCWEECAN is truly invaluable to our mission,” said PCAK Executive Director, Jill Seyfred. “Having a group of committed individuals in the community to spread our prevention message, educate their peers and raise widespread awareness throughout the county has revolutionized our work in Union County. We are truly grateful and deeply moved by their efforts.”

PCAK will present the award to UCWEECAN through a virtual ceremony at 9 a.m. (EST) on Wednesday, October 28. To learn more about the mission of both UCWEECAN and PCAK, visit www.pcaky.org.

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Founded in 1987, Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky is the leading statewide child abuse prevention organization. Their mission to prevent child abuse and neglect across the Commonwealth through advocacy, awareness, education and training. They are the Kentucky chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America and offer statewide programs and services. Learn more by visiting www.pcaky.org.

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CHILD VICTIMS’ TRUST FUND GRANTS SUPPORT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAMS AND ASSIST SURVIVORS OF ABUSE

FRANKFORT, Ky. (August 10, 2020) – Attorney General Daniel Cameron today announced the Child Victim’s Trust Fund (CVTF) awarded nearly $220,000 in grant funding to Kentucky child sexual abuse prevention organizations. The grants fund child sexual abuse prevention programs and assist survivors of abuse.

“Funding child abuse prevention programs is one step toward our shared goal of ending child abuse in the Commonwealth, and I commend these hard working organizations for their dedication to protecting Kentucky’s children,” said Attorney General Cameron.  “We continue working diligently each day to protect Kentucky’s children from the neglect and abuse that has plagued our state for far too long.”

Kentucky’s 15 Children’s Advocacy Centers received more than $65,000 to offset costs associated with administering more than 880 child sexual abuse medical exams.

CVTF also awarded statewide grants to South Central Kentucky Kids on the Block and Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky totaling $50,045, and presented regional grants to Family Nurturing Center and Child Watch Counseling and Advocacy Center amounting to $81,227.

“Kids on the Block, an educational puppet troupe, is committed to ending child abuse in Kentucky through prevention and intervention,” said Ashley Reynolds, executive director of South Central Kentucky Kids on the Block.  “Our puppeteers are eager to travel the state, physically and through virtual programs, to impact over 10,000 children.”  

Headquartered in Lexington, Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky received $26,603 to identify communities and individuals across the state that could benefit from child abuse prevention and family strengthening tools. Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky will analyze survey data to identify areas of Kentucky’s population that may need resources related to child sexual abuse prevention.

“The funding from the Child Victims’ Trust Fund will allow us to expand our mission of prevention, catching kids and families upstream before abuse has happened,” said Jill Seyfred, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky. “We know we still have much work to do in our state to ensure everyone knows child sexual abuse can be prevented and that each of us has a role in doing so. These funds will help us to develop key messages for specific areas of our state to zero in on making sure everyone knows they have a role to play in preventing child sexual abuse from happening.”

The Family Nurturing Center of Florence received $56,574 to provide 220 “Stewards of Children” community trainings for 2,500 parents and adults in Boone, Campbell, Grant, and Kenton Counties. The training equips adults working in youth organizations, public agencies, schools, and law enforcement to recognize, prevent, and respond responsibly to child sexual abuse.

“Family Nurturing Center will continue to make robust use of our CVTF funds to prevent child sexual abuse by training as many adults in Northern Kentucky in Stewards of Children as possible,” said L-A Stopa, program specialist of Family Nurturing Center’s Stewards of Children Program. “Our ability to offer Stewards of Children to everyone in our community, including parents, teachers, health care workers, and first responders is essential to FNC’s mission to end the cycle of child abuse.”

Child Watch Counseling and Advocacy Center of Paducah received $24,653 for its “Safety Tools and Golden Rules” program, serving 13 Western Kentucky counties including Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, and Trigg. The program will provide child sexual abuse prevention education for 400 teachers and staff, 5,000 parents or caregivers, and 13,000 children including campers at the Kentucky Sheriffs’ Boys and Girls Ranch.

“Funding from the Child Victims’ Trust Fund makes it possible for us to empower students in elementary schools throughout the Purchase Area with tools to prevent or stop sexual abuse from happening to them,” said Janie Criner, executive director of Child Watch Counseling. “We are honored to partner with General Cameron to bring this life-saving information to children and educators in our community.” 

In addition to these grants, organizations can apply for sponsorships of up to $5,000 to host child sexual abuse prevention conferences. Earlier this year, the fund provided $985 in sponsorship funds to support the 2020 Child Abuse Prevention Conference organized by the Pennyrile Allied Community Services/Community Collaboration for Children. The fund awards a total of $25,000 in sponsorships throughout the year, and organizations can apply for sponsorships by visiting icareaboutkids.ky.gov.

The Attorney General’s Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention (CSAEP) Board oversees CVTF, a non-profit that provides funding for child sexual abuse prevention programs and reimbursements for child sexual abuse medical exam expenses that are not covered by Medicaid or private insurance.

Kentuckians wishing to join the fight to end child abuse can donate to the CVTF by making a private donation, by purchasing an “I Care About Kids’ license plate, or by donating a portion of your state income tax refund.

To report suspected child abuse, contact local law enforcement or the Child Protection Hotline by calling 1-877-KYSAFE1 (1-877-597-2331)