Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Committee approves Family First prevention contracts; lawmakers press for upstream work and ask for outcome data
Loading...
Summary
The Department for Community Based Services described Family First evidence‑based prevention and reunification services and cited a reduction of 971 children entering foster care since 2018 and a 97% success rate at closure; the committee approved the contracts and members urged more upstream prevention tracking.
The contracts review committee approved amendments to fund Family First Prevention Services administered by the Department for Community Based Services, while legislators pressed for more longitudinal outcome tracking and upstream prevention efforts.
Charity Roberts described Family First services as evidence‑based programs required by federal Title IV‑E, including trauma‑focused cognitive therapies, parent‑child interaction therapies and the Homebuilders model. She said services target families identified by DCBS as at risk of foster care.
Agency testimony cited a long‑term reduction in foster care entries: ‘‘Since 2018 to 2025, we’ve seen a reduction in children going into foster care by 971 children,’’ and officials said they have a ‘‘97 percent success rate at closure’’ for keeping children in their homes when services end.
Senators and representatives asked about measurement and long‑term outcomes. Officials pointed to a partnership with the University of Kentucky’s Center for Drug and Alcohol Research and the Kentucky Moms outcome study as examples of longitudinal evaluation.
Why it matters: Family First funding and program design directly affect child welfare outcomes, costs to the state, and use of evidence‑based practices intended to reduce foster‑care placements.
What’s next: Contracts were approved; legislators asked agencies to continue sharing outcome studies and to consider further upstream prevention work.
