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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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Every Child Needs A Family

We know that children succeed when they are with caring adults who can help guide them as they grow. The commonwealth has over 9,100 children living with foster families or in group homes as a result of abuse, neglect, or dependency. The goal in Kentucky is to reunify children in foster care with their parents; however, when that cannot happen safely, children become eligible for adoption from foster care.

November is National Adoption Month, and while all adoption-related issues are important, the particular focus of this month is the adoption of children currently in foster care.

 In Kentucky, you can foster-to-adopt, in which you become a foster parent with the potential to adopt the child if they become eligible for adoption. Although most Kentucky children in foster care don’t ever become eligible for adoption, priority is given to their foster parents after their biological family members, if they do become eligible. Currently, 2,967 of the 9,000 children in out-of-home care have the goal of adoption. These children are of all different races, ethnic groups, and genders. Many have siblings that they wish to remain with.

When you adopt from foster care, you’re providing a child who may have experienced abuse or neglect the chance to have stability in a loving home. Although fostering to adopt may take a longer commitment before the adoption is final, it typically has less upfront costs than adopting from a private agency or internationally. Bringing a child into your home who may have had an unstable childhood can be challenging, but knowing there is access to resources can make the transition a lot smoother.

Partners in the Kosair Charities® Face It® Movement include Gateway Children’s Services, Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, Operation Open Arms, Saint Joseph’s Children’s Home, Sunrise Children’s Services, and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Each organization offers an array of services for adults interested in fostering to adopt. Like most parents, adoptive parents need support, too. These organizations, among others, offer training, assistance with paperwork, explanations of the regulations, and family and individual support groups.

  • Gateway Children’s Service offers therapeutic foster care & adoption programs with a full array of therapeutic client services such as individual therapy, case management, crisis intervention, and psychiatric/psychological consultation. 
  • Mountain Comprehensive Care Center (MCCC) MCCC’s Therapeutic Foster Care program trains dedicated foster parents to provide supportive care for youth until they can be reunited with their families and/or adopted.
  • Operation Open Arms is a private child placing agency, licensed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky that works to support and assist incarcerated parents.
  • Saint Joseph’s Children’s Home (St. Joe’s)  has residential facilities for children who are eligible for adoption. St. Joe’s has served over 75,000 children. They provide therapeutic services for both foster parents and their children
  • Sunrise Children’s Services provide services for people that are interested in learning about becoming a foster parent as well as adoption services. Since the creation of their foster-to-adopt program in 2006, Sunrise has successfully placed 591 children into permanent homes..
  • The Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) also provides an array of services and supports for children in foster care and their foster parents and has a website (KY FACES) dedicated to helping foster families navigate the adoption process.

 

 Foster families receive childcare for children in their care, whether the placement is temporary or the child is in the process of being adopted. All children in foster care receive medical coverage through the state, including counseling services, as well as a variety of financial supports. CHFS in particular works with many Kentucky agencies and the partners listed to start the journey of fostering- to-adopt.

Every child deserves a safe home and loving family, and the decision to adopt a child is life-changing for both the parent and child. You can find resources to learn more about fostering to adopt in Kentucky from any of our partners listed below. 

 

Data provided by CHFS Foster Care Facts Nov 2021, Image courtesy of Patrick Buck- Unsplash