Kentucky has experienced some of the highest rates of child maltreatment in the country for over a decade. As the flagship institution in the state, UK has been a leader in addressing this by serving children experiencing child abuse and trauma through identification, intervention, innovation, and research. The Kosair for Kids Center for Safe and Healthy Children and Families opened in March of 2024 and is the largest evaluation and treatment
center for suspected child maltreatment in the state. The Center on Trauma and Children established in 1999 is the only program in the state to develop and disseminate knowledge, technologies and evidence-based practices that eliminate the need for out of home care; that is, reducing and ending violence against children, and the effects of trauma on children, families, systems and the workforce. The two programs work together on the spectrum of treating victims; however, children in out-of-home placement continue to have substantial challenges in the state