FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Kentucky has introduced new guidance to speed up the investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse cases across the commonwealth.
Attorney General Russell Coleman announced the updated framework, which is being implemented in training sessions statewide. The guidance was revised for the first time since 2021.
"It is a blueprint for mitigating the harm that these children have faced and will face. It's about collaborating," Coleman said.
The protocols spell out when a child needs to receive medical examinations and lay out details for multidisciplinary teams. The goal is to ensure child survivors do not have to repeat their stories multiple times.
"What comes out of this work, it's life changing. It's life changing in ending the harm," said Coleman.
The updated framework is now being used by all 15 regional Children's Advocacy Centers throughout Kentucky.
From July 2024 to July 2025, Kentucky Child Advocacy Centers screened more than 7,700 cases of child sexual abuse, marking a 29 percent increase over the previous year.
When LEX18 asked about the numbers, Children's Advocacy Centers of Kentucky CEO Natalie Pasquenza addressed the impact.
"Honestly, we've seen an increase over the past couple of years," she said. "Some of that has been because of the processes that we have put in place, so that number is jarring, but it also tells us that our processes are working and that the children that need to come see us are coming to see us."
Joelle Hirst, the manager of the Norton Children's Pediatric Forensic Nurse Examiner Program, emphasized the need for coordinated care.
"We create a coordinated response that supports both healing and accountability," she said.
Hirst noted that this connection to care across disciplines did not exist (decades ago) when her brother was sexually assaulted after being groomed by a trusted adult. Her brother has since passed away.
"My brother did not receive that coordinated care, and if he had, I believe the outcome may have been different," Hirst said.
"This work today that we're celebrating, it's not about looking back and only looking back, it's about what we choose to do moving forward as a state," Hirst added.
