LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky has introduced a modernized framework to accelerate investigations and prosecutions of child sexual abuse cases, according to LEX 18 News.

Attorney General Russell Coleman announced the updated guidance, which represents the first significant revision since 2021 and is being implemented statewide through training sessions. The protocols establish standardized procedures for medical examinations, coordinate multidisciplinary team responses, and aim to prevent child survivors from repeatedly recounting their experiences to different agencies.

"It is a blueprint for mitigating the harm that these children have faced and will face. It's about collaborating," Coleman said.

The revised framework is now being utilized by all 15 of Kentucky's regional Children's Advocacy Centers. From July 2024 to July 2025, these centers screened more than 7,700 cases of child sexual abuse, representing a 29 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Natalie Pasquenza, CEO of Children's Advocacy Centers of Kentucky, attributed the surge partly to improved processes that are successfully identifying children in need of services. "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," Pasquenza said.

Joelle Hirst, manager of the Norton Children's Pediatric Forensic Nurse Examiner Program, emphasized the importance of coordinated care across disciplines. Hirst, whose brother was sexually assaulted decades ago and later died, noted that such comprehensive support systems did not exist during his childhood.

"My brother did not receive that coordinated care, and if he had, I believe the outcome may have been different," Hirst said.

The updated framework aims to create what Hirst described as a "coordinated response that supports both healing and accountability," addressing gaps that existed in previous decades.