28 Dec That’s a wrap on 2023!

As 2023 comes to a close, it’s important to look back personally, professionally, organizationally, and as a community to reflect on goals that were accomplished, challenges that were overcome, and areas to continue working towards in the new year. Over the past year, Face It Movement has continued to advocate for the protection of kids from abuse and neglect. However, there is still work to be done. As we gear up for the continued work ahead, we want to take a few moments to highlight the hard work and accomplishments made by Kosair For Kids Face It Movement and its incredible partner organizations.

Partnerships: Protecting kids from abuse and neglect requires meaningful partnerships, and Face It has over 150 partners across the state to collectively address the complex issue of child maltreatment. Face It continues to build relationships with organizations that help us strengthen parent skills, reduce risk factors, and build community capacity to respond effectively when abuse occurs to achieve the overarching goal of ending abuse and neglect in Kentucky. These partnerships help inform Face It’s policy and engagement strategies at a local, regional, and state level and bring opportunities to expand the reach and overall impact of the work with populations that traditional messaging might not reach.

TEN-4 Day: Face It has been expanding efforts to train professionals who interact with parents and families across the state and there is no better example of this work than our TEN-4 efforts. The TEN-4 FACESp bruising rule is a technique to recognize concerning bruising on young children, and emphasizing the importance of training adults on recognizing, reporting, and preventing child abuse. To raise awareness of the TEN-4FACESp Bruising Rule, Face It hosted three Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma trainings with more than 250 social workers, early childhood educators, community health workers, emergency medical service providers, dentists & dental hygienists, FRYSCs, and nurses in attendance. Participants learned the early warning signs of maltreatment and the various injuries and conditions that may result from vigorous shaking, slamming, or impacting the head of an infant or young child, along with safe sleep practices and tools for dealing with a crying infant and ways to share information with parents to prevent abuse from occurring. Professionals trained are now equipped to go out into their communities and recognize signs of abuse that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Policy Change: Just as critical as direct programming to parents, families, and professionals across the state, policy and systems-level change allows us to better protect all of Kentucky’s kids. During the 2023 legislative session, Face It had two policy wins, that will increase transparency and accountability within child welfare cases and close the gaps in reporting of suspected maltreatment and provide opportunities for relationship building between the Department for Community Based Services and families. 

Community Awareness & Education: Throughout 2023, Face It collaborated with the Kentucky Children’s Hospital (KCH) and Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) to bring awareness to the importance of safe medication storage in the home to prevent accidental ingestions and keep children healthy and safe. The campaign – Medication Safety in the Home – offered families and professionals who work with families tips to safely store medicine. Face It, KCH, and KIPRC have distributed medicine lock boxes, resources, and safety tips to improve child safety, support families, and prevent child fatalities in the Commonwealth. Developed five (5) PSA videos focused on safe medication storage, incorporated safe medication storage messaging on 96,000 pharmaceutical bags in four (4) Kroger pharmacies across Kentucky, and worked with the Attorney General’s Opioid Abatement Commission to help disseminate safe medication storage materials at community events. 

Face It continues to educate the public through the development and promotion of educational materials and content. This past year, we distributed over 119,583 print resources in both English and Spanish with materials reaching families in all Kentucky counties. Our messages on social media have received over 1,484,893 impressions.

While Face It and its many partners have worked hard over the past year to raise awareness, provide resources, and ensure lasting change, there is still much work to be done. We look forward to continuing this important work into 2024 until every child in Kentucky is free from abuse and neglect.