Updated on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024 at 1 p.m.
In the aftermath of the death of 14-year-old Kyneddi Miller, who was found dead in a near skeletal state, officials and members of the media asked questions that went largely unanswered.
In the Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Resources Accountability, Department of Human Services (DoHS) Secretary Cynthia Persily said she is working with the attorney general’s office, legislators, academics, stakeholders, and similar departments in other states to come up with better policy.
“We met directly with four states that have model confidentiality legislation, as well as the University of Kentucky Center on Trauma and Children to inform the legislation,” Persily said.
At the time, she said federal law prevented the release of any personal information about a child. Others outside the department claimed an exception in the case of fatalities.
Persily said there is a thin line between transparency and jeopardizing the prosecution of a neglect and abuse case.
“We are very conscious of the fact that there is a balance between the public’s need to know and the ability to prosecute a child abuse and neglect case, and we would never want to interfere with that,” she said.
Vacancies in Child Protective Services dropped to 17 percent in January and have stayed at that level. Persily said this drop has helped the department hit target time frames for checking in on reported neglect and abuse.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to reflect the correct percentage of vacancies in Child Protective Services.