April is Child Abuse Awareness Month; Childhood Adversities Study Initiative Launches

 With support from our local law enforcement agencies, court advocates and case workers, our office is on the front lines of fighting child abuse and neglect cases. As part of a community effort, our office supports the Blue Ribbon Campaign, sponsored by the Family Nurturing Center, to bring awareness and help end child abuse. 

In response to the sensitive issues and special training needed for social workers to investigate child abuse , Assistant Kenton County Attorney, Kelly Leonard helped create and facilitate the CAST (Childhood Adversities Study Initiative).    The CAST program was first designed by a prosecutor in Minnesota, designed specifically to help social work students learn to recognize and investigate child abuse and neglect. There was a clear need to train and prepare social workers in school instead of having them learn on the job with real children who have suffered trauma.   Miami University has just rolled out the first two classes and will offer the third in the Fall of 2019. Ms. Leonard’s dedication to ensuring this program succeeds is just one of the steps our office takes to fight child abuse every day.     

Mandatory Reporting:

If you believe a child is being abuse, neglected, or dependent, please call the Child Protection hotline at 859-292-6550.  You may also call the Kenton County Attorney at 859-491-0600 or your local law enforcement.  Kentucky is a mandatory reporting state.   Failing to report known abuse is punishable by law.

To learn more about the Blue Ribbon Campaign and ways that you can help support Child Abuse Awareness Month, visit  www.familynurture.org.