# Kentucky Senate advances comprehensive child welfare, safety bill  
**Published:** 2026-03-24T00:00:00.000Z  
**Source:** [KY Legislative Research Commission](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#HB778_032426)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/kentucky-senate-advances-comprehensive-child-welfare-safety-bill

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The [Kentucky Legislative Research Commission](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#HB778_032426) reported that a multi-pronged [child welfare and safety bill was unanimously advanced Tuesday by the Senate Families and Children Committee](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/HB778/SCS1.pdf). [House Bill 778, sponsored by Rep. Nick Wilson, R-Williamsburg, seeks to strengthen protections for young people in foster care, improve coordination between agencies and codify bill language regarding ingestion of controlled substances by children.](https://www.kentuckynewera.com/news/state/article_fc7c54f5-ff02-559c-873a-c72bb3545f0b.html)

[The measure includes provisions allowing young adults who leave foster care at age 18 to reenter the system up to three times until age 20½.](https://www.kentuckynewera.com/news/state/article_fc7c54f5-ff02-559c-873a-c72bb3545f0b.html) This provision addresses a documented problem in Kentucky: [about half of all young people aged 16 and older exit foster care in Kentucky by aging out, exposing them to risks including homelessness and economic instability.](https://kyyouth.org/fostering-youth-transitions-2023/)

[The bill also requires that each foster care placement meet the individual needs of the child and ensures children in foster care are not placed with someone on the sex offender registry.](https://www.kentuckynewera.com/news/state/article_fc7c54f5-ff02-559c-873a-c72bb3545f0b.html) [Wilson said lawmakers worked with representatives from the court system, schools, investigators and child advocacy professionals to craft the legislation.](https://www.kentuckynewera.com/news/state/article_fc7c54f5-ff02-559c-873a-c72bb3545f0b.html)

A significant portion of the bill addresses what lawmakers characterized as modern threats to child safety. [Under HB 778, child injuries caused by ingestion or inhalation of a controlled substance would be included in the definition of neglect, and neglect would be added to the child abuse statute.](https://www.kentuckynewera.com/news/state/article_fc7c54f5-ff02-559c-873a-c72bb3545f0b.html) The provision reflects an urgent public health concern: [Kentucky children are increasingly ingesting and overdosing on unsafe substances like cannabinoids and fentanyl, with the rate increasing by more than 100% in the last five years.](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/02/23/report-ky-children-are-dying-in-drug-overdoses-that-are-preventable/)

Recent state data underscores the severity of the problem. [The rate of cannabinoid exposure to children in Kentucky has increased 720% in the last five years, with cases rising from five in 2020 to 41 in 2024.](https://nkytribune.com/2026/02/kentucky-children-keep-dying-in-preventable-drug-overdoses-rate-rises-100-over-past-five-years/) [Eleven children died from ingestion or overdoses in 2024.](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/02/23/report-ky-children-are-dying-in-drug-overdoses-that-are-preventable/)

Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, who serves on the state's Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Board, acknowledged the urgency of addressing child substance ingestion, noting the numbers are "increasing dramatically" over the past several years. Sen. Keturah J. Herron, D-Louisville, praised the bill's foster care aging-out provisions, noting that homelessness among young people who have exited foster care remains a significant problem in Kentucky.

[The bill includes provisions requiring trainings for social workers, child care centers, family home child care centers, urgent care centers and medical professionals about recognizing and responding to child substance ingestion.](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#HB778_032426) The legislation now advances to further consideration in the legislative process.

## Sources

- [KY Legislative Research Commission](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#HB778_032426)
- [Kentucky New Era – Child welfare, safety bill approved by Senate committee](https://www.kentuckynewera.com/news/state/article_fc7c54f5-ff02-559c-873a-c72bb3545f0b.html)
- [Kentucky Youth Advocates – Fostering Youth Transitions 2023](https://kyyouth.org/fostering-youth-transitions-2023/)
- [Kentucky Lantern – Report: Ky. children are dying in drug overdoses that are preventable](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/02/23/report-ky-children-are-dying-in-drug-overdoses-that-are-preventable/)
- [NKyTribune – Kentucky children keep dying in preventable drug overdoses](https://nkytribune.com/2026/02/kentucky-children-keep-dying-in-preventable-drug-overdoses-rate-rises-100-over-past-five-years/)
- [Kentucky Legislature – House Bill 778 Senate Committee Substitute](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/HB778/SCS1.pdf)

---

This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from KY Legislative Research Commission, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#HB778_032426.