Child protection agencies in northern and western Kentucky will be able to train even more children, families and communities on how to prevent child abuse thanks to over $70,000 in grant funding provided by the Child Victims’ Trust Fund, Attorney General Andy Beshear announced today.
The Attorney General’s Office administers the Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention Board that allocates dollars from the Fund to support child sexual abuse prevention programs. The Fund is allocating over $100,000 this fiscal year cycle, with more than $70,000 going to two regional programs.
The two regional programs include western Kentucky’s Child Watch Counseling and Advocacy Center and northern Kentucky’s Family Nurturing Center.
“It is a privilege to be able to recognize and support programs that are working to keep Kentucky’s children safe,” Beshear said. “I want to thank the leadership team and staff at each of these organizations for working tirelessly to protect our children from sexual abuse and help educate parents and caregivers.”
Child Watch Counseling and Advocacy Center received $16,640 in funding for its “Safety Tools and Golden Rules” program. This curriculum delivers sexual abuse prevention education to preschool and elementary school-aged children in schools. Primary topics covered are body safety, abuse prevention, and internet safety. The funding will provide training to more than 12,000 children in Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Marshall and McCracken counties and 300 campers of the Kentucky Sheriffs’ Boys and Girls Ranch.
Family Nurturing Center received $56,000 in funding for its Stewards of Children Training that promotes core competencies in the areas of prevention strategies, recognizing the signs of sexual abuse, reporting requirements and responding appropriately to disclosures.
The training also includes a unique motivational component that directly addresses reluctance to report and the necessity of shared adult responsibility for every child. The funding will provide 225 Stewards of Children training in Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton counties and will train 3,000 adults in target groups.
Additionally, Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky received $32,635 to create a research-informed messaging platform designed to change social norms and practices in the Commonwealth. The resulting product, an action-oriented, sustainable messaging platform, will be made available to partners through social media, webinars, conferences and other venues.
Beshear said the Child Victims’ Trust Fund is also providing $78,000 in grants to cover costs associated with more than 1,000 child sexual abuse medical exams. The funding will be shared among the state’s 15 Children’s Advocacy Centers.
