05 Apr Recapping Face It State Policy Wins for 2023

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. The Face It Movement, an initiative founded and funded by Kosair for Kids, directly addresses incidences of child abuse and neglect in Kentucky and promotes best practices in child abuse prevention and intervention while engaging the community and advocating for effective policies to improve the child welfare system.

The Face It policy team worked to promote legislative policies that align with the Face It mission during the 2023 legislative session. This year, Face It policy priorities were:

• Eliminate the use of corporal punishment in schools to create safer, more nurturing learning environments for students
• Establish an independent Ombudsman that provides oversight of the child welfare system by investigating concerns of safety and well-being, identifying systemic issues related to administration or practice, and making recommendations for improvements
• Close the gaps in reporting of suspected maltreatment to ensure the reporting of child abuse or neglect is properly communicated to the appropriate external agencies, not only the agency who employs the adult suspected of abuse, and investigated

While there were not any bills filed regarding corporal punishment this year, this is an initiative that  Face It and partners in the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children have been committed to engaging in as there are still school districts within the state that allow corporal punishment to be used.

Senate Bill 48 covered the Face It priority to establish an independent Ombudsman office for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. This bill, signed into law on March 29th, will help ensure that reports are being investigated to their full extent without conflict of interest. 

Senate Bill 229 covered the Face It priority to close gaps in reporting by ensuring that the reporting of child abuse or neglect is properly communicated to the appropriate external agencies and clarifies that agencies cannot utilize a chain of command maltreatment reporting process. SB 229 also allows the Department for Community Based Services to initiate an assessment or an investigation when child abuse or neglect is suspected and allows discretion to make announced or unannounced home visits depending on the severity of the case. This bill will help reduce gaps in reporting as well as provide opportunities for relationship building between DCBS and families by allowing them to identify families who need support and resources rather than investigations. This bill was signed by the governor on March 27th.

Face It and partners continue to push for policies that help reduce and alleviate child abuse and neglect in Kentucky. Since the launch of Face It in 2013, the movement has accrued many legislative wins for Kentucky kids and families. The 2024 state policy and budget priorities are under construction. 

To learn more about Face It policy priorities and wins, and stay up to date on 2024 policy priorities, visit https://faceitabuse.org/policy/.