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Kentucky

All Kentuckians are mandated reporters. If you believe a child is being abused or neglected, call the Child Protection Hotline.

1-877-KYSAFE1 or 1-877-597-2331

For contact information in other states, please visit our Report It page.

Additional Support:

Child help: National Abuse Hotline:
1-800-4-CHILD
or 1-800-422-4453

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Statement from the Face It® Movement on Kentucky Senate Passing SB 137

(Louisville, KY, March 13, 2018) – Today, the Kentucky Senate passed Senate Bill 137, which seeks to address abuse and protect future victims by giving judges the option to allow testimony from a trustworthy adult to whom a child has disclosed abuse.

Strong state policies help to strengthen communities and keep kids safe from abuse, which is why the Face It Movement to end child abuse convenes a broad-based policy work team that promotes policy recommendations on which our state legislators can take action.

“If a young child has been a victim of abuse, trauma and fear may affect their ability to testify in court,” said Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates. “Their fear or inability should not prevent a judge from hearing the most complete information about a child’s experience, which is crucial in reaching an informed decision in child abuse cases. SB 137 takes a reasonable and measured approach – as has been done in other states – to give courts more complete information when a child has been abused.”

We thank Senator Whitney Westerfield for sponsoring SB 137 and for his commitment to protecting children from abuse.

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About the Face It® Movement: The Face It Movement, conceived and created in 2012 as a response to the public outcry against the increasing number of child abuse deaths in the Commonwealth, and officially launched in April 2013 as an initiative led by Kosair Charities. Face It directly addresses the increasingly unacceptable number of child abuse deaths in Kentucky with the promotion of best practices in child abuse prevention and intervention, engaging the community, and advocating for effective policies to improve the child welfare system. For further information visit https://faceitabuse.org. Socially, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faceitabuse, Twitter: https://twitter.com/faceitabuse.