SFY24 Children's Justice Act (CJA) Task Force RFP: Program for Safe and Healthy Children and Families

Scope of Work This award is requested to expand the work of UK Pediatric Forensic Medicine into all regions that Kentucky Children’s Hospital most frequently serves, ensuring that all children have access to expertly trained professionals for the evaluation of child maltreatment. Collaboration with DCBS staff in the five regions most frequently served by UK PFM is vital to this expansion and will be served through the addition of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings into the Eastern Mountain Region. Additional training to DCBS staff will also be provided through this award. Expansion of MDTs into other regions of the State in the past have produced a noticeable increase in referrals to UK PFM. Child victims of maltreatment and neglect will be able to receive evidence-based interventions and assessments that are crucial to a robust, timely and trauma-informed approach for children and families. UK PFM’s innovative interdisciplinary approach to assess for child maltreatment can provide invaluable information to frontline investigative workers. This portion of the project serves the mandates of the Children’s Justice Act (CJA Task Force) that focus on the “assessment and investigation of suspected child abuse and neglect cases, including cases of suspected child sexual abuse and exploitation, in a manner that limits additional trauma to the child and the child’s family.” The creation of MDTs across all five DCBS regions will increase communication amongst medical professionals, child protection workers, law enforcement and judicial staff who are responsible for the assessment, investigation, safety and adjudication of child abuse and neglect cases. Increased communication at all levels is necessary to coordinate care and safety and provide accountability to perpetrators of child maltreatment. This increased communication not only serves victims of child abuse and their families, but as well provides a strong network of support for the professionals dedicated to keeping children safe. UK PFM has established itself as an expert in child maltreatment, has the ability to foster and maintain relationships with community partners and has the bandwidth and infrastructure to provide trainings to our state’s child protection workers. UK PFM is dedicated to making Kentucky safer for its children.