Community Response and Well-Being

The Community Response and Well-Being Branch organizes secondary prevention efforts to support families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and lower the chances of child welfare involvement. The branch manages contracts, works with community partners, offers expert advice, sets practice standards, and gives statewide guidance to child protective services workers, community members, and prevention service providers.

Thriving Families, Safer Children (TFSC)

Thriving Families, Safer Children (TFSC) is a national effort that brings together states and communities that want to take a new approach to supporting families and keeping children safe. Each site involved in the movement has created a project that meets the unique needs of its local community.

Teams at each site are working to focus their efforts in the community, build strong partnerships, and use local strengths. Their goal is to support the well-being of families and communities, prevent child abuse and neglect, reduce family separations, and help children, youth and families succeed.

Kentucky was chosen as a TFSC site in 2021. The state’s project is a partnership of organizations and individuals across Kentucky, including people with lived experience. Together, they are rethinking the child welfare system by working to create strong, healthy communities where families are supported and children are safe from harm.

The following priorities support the goals of the national TFSC movement and focus on family and community well-being:

Build a strong network of local prevention services.
Create support systems for families who are “screened out” by the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services.
Make a clear distinction between poverty and neglect.
Develop a statewide plan for both primary and secondary prevention.
Create a Parent Advisory Council.

More information on Thriving Families, Safer Children (TFSC) can be found at TFSCKY – Kentucky Youth Advocates.

Safety Net & Economic Supports

Safety Net services are available for former Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (KTAP) recipients whose total gross income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. These services are offered when individuals are no longer eligible for KTAP due to reaching the time limit for benefits or being disqualified for three months because they did not take part in the Kentucky Works Program.

Each family’s situation is assessed to better understand their needs. Based on the assessment, families may be connected to local community resources or, when necessary, receive crisis intervention. This can include short-term financial assistance to help with basic needs such as food, clothing, fuel, utilities, housing, etc.

State and Regional Prevention Collaboratives

The Statewide Prevention Collaborative leads the implementation of a primary and secondary prevention plan to support the well-being of families and communities across Kentucky. While this work is part of the broader Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky (TFSC) initiative, the Statewide Prevention Collaborative operates separately from it. Additionally, it does not oversee the Regional Prevention Collaboratives.

Each of the nine Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) service regions has its own Regional Prevention Collaborative. Like the statewide group, each regional collaborative develops and carries out a primary and secondary prevention plan based on the specific needs of its community.

Regional Prevention Collaborative plans can be found at TFSCKY – Kentucky Youth Advocates.

Community Response

In counties served by Community Response, reports to DCBS that don’t meet the rules for assessment or services are sent to local community agencies. These agencies offer support and resources to families before any abuse or neglect happens. Connecting families to help early can prevent the pain of maltreatment, child welfare involvement, and families being separated.

The goal of Community Response is to strengthen families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and lower the number of future reports to DCBS. When there are fewer reports, child welfare workers can focus on the most critical safety issues.

Incarcerated Caregiver Program

The Division for Public Community Welfare (DPCW), in partnership with Gateway Children’s Services and Montgomery County Regional Jail, provides services to children and families of incarcerated individuals in a five-county area. At any given time, about 120 inmates may be eligible for this program.

Research shows that having one or both parents incarcerated can increase a child’s Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) score. This higher ACE score is linked to long-term negative effects on a child’s mental and physical health. Studies estimate that 40% of children in foster care have had at least one incarcerated parent.

Children with incarcerated parents often face challenges such as depression, complex trauma, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, obesity, homelessness, and other serious issues. Front line physical and mental health professionals play a vital role in helping children through this difficult experience.

Parent Engagement Meetings

In counties served by the Parent Engagement Meeting program, Family Resource Center Coordinators refer children ages 5 to 11 who are at risk of educational neglect due to absenteeism.

Service providers schedule a meeting with the family within seven days of the referral. During the meeting, an action plan is created to help families understand and follow the school’s attendance policy. The plan also includes referrals to community resources that may support the family’s needs.

A follow-up call is made within three to four weeks after the meeting to check on the family’s progress. Additional follow-up calls or referrals are made as needed or requested.

The program is available in the following counties:

Eastern Mountain (Leslie & Perry)
Jefferson
Northeastern (Boyd, Carter, Elliot, Greenup, Menifee & Lawrence)
Northern Bluegrass (Boone, Carroll, Gallatin & Owen)
Salt River Trail (Hardin, Henry, Spencer & Washington)
The Lakes (Crittenden & Trigg)
Two Rivers (Daviess, Mclean, Ohio, Union, Warren & Webster)

Community Pathways

DPCW is working to help families by offering prevention services funded by Title IV-E outside of the usual child welfare programs. These community-based services aim to support families and keep them strong without involving child welfare unless it’s really needed.

Local community agencies and prevention providers deliver these services, making sure families get the help they need early and in their own communities.

Plan of Safe Care Community Connector Program

The Plan of Safe Care Community Connector was created to offer support to mothers facing different challenges and needs. These services address specific maternal needs in efforts to lower the chances of child abuse or neglect.

Services may include parenting classes, support for teen parents, early intervention services, substance use/misuse educational support, and supports for families living in poverty. The program partners with KY Moms MATR, an organization that supports and helps build strong families in Kentucky.