The $2 million grant will assist the university in providing expanded professional training opportunities for DCBS employees.
Morehead State University has received a $2 million grant from the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services. The grant will fund the hiring of university staff who will provide professional training to employees of the Kentucky Department of Community Based Services, which is part of the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services. The goal of the program is to train DCBS employees to be able to better protect and care for vulnerable populations in Kentucky.
According to an article on Morehead State University's website, Matthew Hyden, who serves as the Adult & Regional Education executive director, was quoted as saying of the grant funded project, “Training for DCBS employees is critical to ensuring that citizens across Kentucky receive the benefits and protections to which they are entitled. High-quality training enables staff to accurately determine eligibility for essential programs. This initiative also reinforces MSU’s mission as a regional public institution by promoting workforce development, public service, and community well-being throughout MSU’s 22-county service region in Eastern Kentucky.”
The $2 million in funding will pay for 16 new employees at the university, including a director, three regional learning specialists, seven family support trainers, and five protection and permanency trainers. The funding will also cover associated travel costs.
The training program for DCBS employees is part of an initiative that includes a consortium between the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, Northern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, and Brescia University, with each member of the consortium overseeing the training of the employees from specific regions of the state. Morehead State University’s regions include the Northeastern, Eastern Mountain, and Cumberland areas of the state. The members of the consortium will share information and maintain communication to ensure that in every region, DCBS employees are receiving consistent training.
The training aims to provide DCBS employees with the knowledge and skills to better support and protect the state’s vulnerable children, families, and adults. The topics of training the employees will receive from the new Morehead State University staff members include SNAP benefits, Medicaid, KTAP, fraud detection, elder abuse prevention, civil rights, crisis intervention, child and adult protective services, and general information about working with people who are in vulnerable situations.
For more information about Morehead State University, visit the school’s website.