A state agency says the number of substantiated findings of child abuse and neglect in Kentucky rose 55 percent over a four-year period.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the increase has occurred since then-Gov. Steve Beshear established an independent panel in 2012 to review such cases.
According to the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services, there were 15,378 substantiated findings of child abuse and neglect in fiscal 2016, up from 9,934 in fiscal 2012.
Panel members told the newspaper that Kentucky isn't making enough progress to keep children safe, and that the department is struggling to monitor too many cases.
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services deputy secretary Tim Feeley says the agency steps in and does the best it can when it knows there's a safety issue.
