Division of Protection and Permanency (DPP)

If you believe a child is being abused, neglected or is dependent, you should call the the protection and permanency office in your county or the Toll Free Child Protection Hot Line.

Child Protection Hot Line:

1-877-KYSAFE1
or
1-877-597-2331
(Toll Free)

The Division of Protection and Permanency coordinates the state's child welfare and violence prevention efforts.  The division coordinates more than 180 contracts with vendors, which provide a variety of services (statewide and individually for specific service regions) to enhance family violence prevention and intervention services.   The division provides consultative services and technical assistance to local child protective services offices regarding child and adult protection cases.  The division coordinates permanency services including the coordination of state efforts to recruit and certify adoptive homes for children in foster care.  The division creates standards of practice for local office operation, and implements statewide changes in coordination with state and federal legislation changes. The division also gathers data and creates reports to monitor the state's progress toward federal goals in child welfare services.  

• DPP Vision Statement
• DPP Mission Statement

The Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect Booklet is designed to provide information for the person who, as a part of his/her job or profession, may encounter situations of child abuse or neglect. It is designed to help you decide when an abused or neglected child needs special protection and what to do about it. As a person who works with children, you are in a key position to be aware of maltreated children. Accordingly, the law places certain responsibilities on you. This booklet will discuss:

• Definitions of child abuse, neglect and dependency;
• Kentucky laws addressing these problems;
• Procedures for making a report;
• A brief explanation of what happens when a report is made;
• Some key indicators to look for in recognizing cases of possible abuse and neglect or dependency

The Child Removal Handbook is an informational guide for families with currently active child welfare cases and whose children have been placed in foster care.

As part of state child welfare activities, the department conducts regular self-evaluation of it's service delivery and plans for service improvement.  Additionally, federal authorities conduct their own review of state service delivery and compliance with federal requirements.  Evaluations are based on data-driven analysis of whether or not the services provided by the department are providing effective:

• prevention services to mediate the risk of child abuse and neglect
• interventions to reduce the risk of repeat maltreatment for children who have been abused and neglected
• services to increase safety so that abused and neglected children might be able to remain with their families
• intervention and permanency to reunify children who enter foster care due to abuse and neglect
• appropriate placement and permanency services for children who cannot return home

Federal reviews of state child welfare activities are cyclical, recurring at regular intervals.  Federal feedback informs state planning for service delivery in the next funding cycle.  The process recurs over time building gradual state improvement on federal indicators. 

Federal Review Results and Performance Improvement Plans

State Plans for Service Delivery and Improvement