Ky.gov

Cabinet for Health and Family Services

Division of Prevention and Community Well Being

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Division of Prevention and Community Well-Being organizes the state’s efforts on child welfare prevention and increasing the well-being of communities within the Commonwealth. In addition, the division has partnerships to increase community collaborations and also manages more than 50 contracts with vendors that provide a variety of prevention services.​

 The division follows a public health model three-level prevention continuum as follows:
  • Primary prevention activities are directed towards the general population, with all community members having access to and opportunities to benefit from services and resources.
  • Secondary prevention activities provide families with services to address family needs and prevent child welfare involvement. 
  • Tertiary prevention services are provided to families in which child maltreatment has already occurred. These services are offered with the goal of preventing recurrence, avoid family separation, and to expedite reunification.  
The division; 
  • partners with community organizations to strengthen family well-being.
  • staff provide consultation and technical assistance to local child protective services offices about prevention services. 
  • creates standards of practice to guide local offices and the department in carrying out prevention services. 
  • carries out statewide changes called for when state and federal legislation changes. 
  • gathers data and makes reports to track the state's progress on federal goals in child welfare services.

Vision Statement

The vision of the Division of Prevention and Community Well-Being is create a child and family well-being system. To make sure families can access to supports that work and respond to cultural needs to promote healthy children, families, and communities, and prevent family separation.​

Mission Statement

The mission of the Division of Prevention and Community Well-Being is to make sure prevention efforts are co-designed by families and youth with lived experience, bring community systems together, connect families to the right supports at the right time, make sure prevention efforts can be financially sustained, use and share data to support change, and put policy into place to:
  • Improve child welfare policies, practices, and systems for children and families to prevent involvement with child welfare;
  • Collaborate and enhance community-based partnerships to help stabilize children and families with needs identified; and 
  • Provide a robust prevention service array so that families engaged with the child welfare system are given the resources and tools needed to promote safety, reduce negative consequences, and prevent reoccurrence of maltreatment.

Standards of Practice

Department for Community Based Services Standards of Practice Manual​ located at https://manuals-sp-chfs.ky.gov/chapter6/Pages/default.aspx​ : State adult and child welfare activities, including prevention services, are carried out as directed by federal law, state statute, and state regulation. The written standard of practice manual contains procedures for carrying out adult and child welfare activities, including referral and involvement in prevention services. 

Community Based Child Abuse Prevention Grant (CBCAP)

DCBS is selected by the Governor as the lead agency to receive the Community Based Child Abuse Prevention Grant funds and to put program into place, including carrying out the following core features:
  • Federal, State, and private funds are blended and made available to community agencies for child abuse and neglect prevention activities and family support programs.
  • A focus on parent leadership and participation in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of prevention programs.
  • Interagency collaborations with public and private agencies in the States to form a child abuse prevention network to promote greater coordination of resources.
  • Funds are used to support programs such as voluntary home visiting programs, parenting programs, family resource centers, respite and crisis care, parent mutual support, and other family support programs.
  • A focus on increased use and high-quality implementation of evidence-based and evidence-informed programs and practices.
  • A focus on the continuum of evaluation approaches which use both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the effectiveness of the funded programs and activities.
Please see the Primary Prevention Branch for additional details on services. 

Title IV-E Prevention

The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), enacted as part of Public Law (P.L.) 115—123 and codified in Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, authorized new optional title IV-E funding for time-limited prevention services for mental health, substance abuse, and in-home parent skill-based programs for children or youth who are candidates for foster care, pregnant or parenting youth in foster care, and the parents or kin caregivers of those children and youth. 

Title IV-E agencies that provide the title IV-E prevention program submit a five-year plan for their title IV-E prevention program to the Children’s Bureau for review and approval. 

Please see https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov​ ​​​​for programs and services rated as well-supported, supported, promising, or does not currently meet criteria.
​
Please see the Prevention and Evidenced-Based Practices Branch for additional information on services.

​Division of Prevention and Community Well-Being Race Equity Team

Vision​
The vision of the DPCW Race Equity Team is that families of the Commonwealth have fair access to services, resources, and support in their communities to allow their families and children to succeed.

Mission
The mission of the DPCW Race Equity Team is to further race equity within our division by creating a culture of inclusion, equity, and justice to make sure there is fair access to resources and support, fair involvement with the child welfare system, and fair outcomes after child welfare involvement.

Goals:
  • Reduce unequal reports by race and ethnicity
  • Make resources and supports stronger in communities of need
  • Reduce unfair outcomes by race and ethnicity for families involved in the child welfare system
  • Assess the impact of new or changing policies or programs
  • Diversity in hiring practices
  • Explicit inclusion in decision making

Birthparent Advisory Council

KY SEAT
KY SEAT is Kentucky’s statewide birth parent advisory council formed in 2022 as one of the plans under Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky. The role of KY SEAT is to serve as well thought out partner with other community partners within Kentucky’s child welfare system and provide input on making changes to services, particularly prevention programming. 

KY SEAT is a council of biological parents, both mothers and fathers, who have past experience with the child welfare system with the aim​ to empower parents to advocate for themselves. 

KY SEAT gives valued input to key decision makers and service providers for an accountable, transparent child welfare system that supports families with compassion and respect.​

Programs and Services

Additional Information

Contact Information

292

Related Agencies

Agency News