LEXINGTON, Ky. — LGBTQ+ youth report higher rates of mistreatment when placed in foster care, according to the Human Rights Campaign’s All Children-All Families report.

Three organizations in Kentucky have been recognized for innovative LGBTQ+ inclusiveness, including Casa of Lexington, which works to end child abuse and neglect in Central Kentucky. 

What You Need To Know

  • CASA of Lexington has been recognized for being innovative when it comes to LGBTQ inclusion by the Human Rights Campaign's All Children-All Families program

  • This is the second time the organization has received this distinction

  • It is the highest tier of recognition from the All Children-All Families program

  • Two other agencies in Kentucky were also named as an innovative partner on LGBTQ+ inclusion

Melynda Jamison has been CASA of Lexington’s executive director for over 10 years. She says that CASA serves thousands of children in Kentucky and that there are bound to be kids who identify as LGBTQ+. Approximately one in three youth in foster care is LGBTQ+, according to the report.

“Here at CASA of Lexington, we believe that every child deserves to have a voice through their CASA volunteer,” said Jamison.

CASA of Lexington has been recognized for the second time as an innovative partner on LGBTQ+ inclusion by the All Children-All Families program. This is the highest tier of recognition.

Six other local CASA programs in different cities throughout the U.S. also earned this distinction. Among them is CASA of the River Region in Louisville.

“We’ve been the go-to resource for child welfare agencies that are looking to transform their service delivery to the LGBTQ+ community and court-appointed special advocates, or CASAs, are a really critical part of that, right?” said Phii Regis, the director of the All Children-All Families program. “So we’re really excited about the work that we’re doing with CASAs and continuing to expand that work.”

Regis says that CASA of Lexington has implemented a number of innovative practices that include being LGBTQ+ inclusive on social media and collecting pronouns on forms.

“We’ve put a few new practices in place here at our organization to ensure that we are being inclusive and making sure that every child knows that they’re welcome here,” said Jamison.

The other location in Kentucky that received the innovator recognition is the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky in Covington.

Over 170 organizations across the nation were recognized for their efforts to improve LGBTQ+ inclusion for foster youth and families. That is over 100 more agencies than what the All Children-All Families program first recorded in 2019. 39 of those are CASA affiliates.

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