LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky's attorney general and state officials released an updated protocol Wednesday to guide investigators handling child sexual abuse cases, prompted by a significant rise in reported abuse across the state.

Between July 2024 and July 2025, Children's Advocacy Centers in Kentucky screened more than 7,700 cases of child sexual abuse, representing a 29% increase over the previous year, according to Attorney General Russell Coleman. He described the situation as "unacceptable."

The updated protocol, the first since 2021, was released by Coleman and representatives from the Kentucky Multidisciplinary Commission on Child Sexual Abuse. The guidance clarifies when children need medical examinations and instructs multidisciplinary teams across the state on coordinating services to prevent survivors from repeatedly recounting traumatic events.

"It's a modernized blueprint for child sexual abuse cases, for mitigating the harm that these children have faced and will face," Coleman said. "It's about collaborating. It's about tearing down silos."

The protocol emphasizes conducting forensic interviews with youth survivors at Children's Advocacy Centers rather than police stations, keeping children away from environments where they might encounter alleged perpetrators. The state operates 15 regional centers serving all 120 Kentucky counties, designed with child-friendly amenities and soothing environments.

Joelle Hirst, a sexual assault nurse examiner and manager of Norton Children's pediatric forensic nurse examiner program, shared her brother's experience as motivation for the protocol. Her brother, sexually assaulted decades ago, was forced to repeat his story multiple times and never received a medical examination. "There was no protocol, there was no integration," Hirst said. "That's why this protocol matters."

Federal data indicates Kentucky faces a pronounced child abuse problem. The national Child Maltreatment report released in January showed Kentucky had 9,377 first-time victims in 2024, with about 7% sexually abused. Despite a recent decline since 2020, Kentucky's child maltreatment rate remains nearly double the national average at 14.2 per 1,000 children compared to 7.4 nationally.

Kentucky's Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel reported 72 child fatalities and 176 near fatalities in fiscal year 2024. About 30% of abuse and neglect victims were younger than 4 years old.

The General Assembly has taken legislative action this year, making grooming of minors for sex a felony. Last year, lawmakers criminalized child sex dolls, arguing users are likely to escalate to harming children.