Child Abuse: Reform Kentucky's Child Abuse Approach

Abstract

Kentucky's children need the community to hear their voices. Even though Kentucky is number one in child abuse compared to all the other states in the nation, Kentuckians must help improve in this area. Children have died in Kentucky due to child abuse and neglect. The laws are too lenient, and the laws give the parents too many opportunities to fix their behavior, and the child spends his/her entire childhood years in and out of foster care only to keep going back to abuse.

Studies have shown that children who have been abused may have brain structural changes that cause them to be more at risk for mental health disorders. They are also more susceptible to becoming drug addicts if they ever try drugs. The system to protect the children has let them down. As children, they never saw Child Protective Services working with their caregivers to make things better. Once the children know the system has failed them, they will not reach out to the same system once they become parents.

The children have been failed, and it is time Kentucky becomes an example of how to end child abuse. The community should be allowed to get involved and build the bridge of communication between Child Protective Services and the parents. Kentucky will be on a path that will open communication lines so resources can be directly available to serve our caregivers who need help.

Year Manuscript Completed

Fall 2020

Senior Project Advisor

Dr. Scott Douglas

Degree Awarded

Bachelor of Integrated Studies Degree

Field of Study

Social Sciences

Document Type

Thesis

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