Kentucky has one of the highest rates of child abuse and neglect in the United States.

To child advocacy groups are working to change that.

According to a 2023 Child maltreatment report by the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, Kentucky ranked fourth in the nation for child maltreatment.

14 out of every 1000 children in this state faced maltreatment, double the national average.

And for infants, the rate is particularly high, with 34 out of every 1000 infants in Kentucky experiencing abuse or neglect.

Nationally, the rate is 22 out of every 1000 neglect ranked as the highest maltreatment type for children in Kentucky, followed by physical abuse and sexual abuse.

Co-Chair for Kids and Kentucky youth advocates are trying to bring those numbers down with the launch of a new educational training video and a series of them created to raise awareness about child maltreatment and abuse.

It's an adult responsibility to make sure that kids stay safe, and there is a role that a lot of us can play.

Really, every adult can play in Kentucky to make sure that kids stay free of abuse or neglect.

The overall goal of the co-chair for Kids Face at Movement videos that have been released is to ensure that anyone who engages with children in some capacity understands what the signs and symptoms are of child abuse or neglect, and also understands the opportunities that are there for preventing abusive neglect.

Because there's a lot that we can do on the front end before abuse ever occurs.

To keep kids safe and to keep parents connected to resources that will make our entire community a better place for kids to thrive in.

The experts that are part of the videos are folks who work on intervention when it comes to child abuse, neglect, or recognition, such as our forensic pediatricians or those individuals who work at the children's Advocacy centers across Kentucky, or those who work directly with kids and and parents in different parts of the state, so they really understand what child abuse and neglect prevention and recognition looks like on the ground, and are bringing that insight and expertise into these videos.

So the topics that you can expect to see on the videos include, recognition and signs and symptoms of physical abuse, for especially for babies and younger children all the way up through teenage years, a specific signs and symptoms for children experiencing sexual abuse as well as psychological abuse.

And then, some information about staying safe online and cyber safety and the potential exploitation that can happen there for kids, as well as a lot of information about what it looks like to prevent abuse or neglect, whether that's helping kids build resilience or helping parents and caregivers get connected to supports to reduce some of the stress that they experience that could lead to that maltreatment later on.

So we've got information for general community members.

If you're in the community interacting with kids in some capacity, we would encourage you to watch them, especially if you're working at a church with kids, or if you're working at a summer camp or, after school time type of organization.

There's also specific information for individuals who are in the medical profession and individuals who are in school settings or educational settings.

So we have information that is built for specific professionals as well as just general community members.

For those who are interacting with kids in any capacity in Kentucky.

We are a mandatory reporting state, so any adult that suspects abuse or neglect is happening is required to call Child Protective Services or the police.

That information is included in the video, including what to expect when making a report and the different avenues to do that in.

The information about reporting helps to have about, especially if an individual has never had to make a report before.

It helps kind of walk through what it might look like, what information you might need, and if you're unsure or it does not seem like there's an imminent risk of abuse or neglect.

But maybe a family is struggling.

Alternatives for what that might look like.

And as far as getting them connected to resources.