Representing LGBTQ+ Clients: A Conversation with Currey Cook, Part One

Did you know that one in five children in the child welfare system identify as LBGTQ+? In this two part episode, Angela and Bill interview Currey Cook. Currey is the Director of the Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project and Counsel of the National Headquarters of Lambda Legal in New York. He co-authored Safe Havens: Closing the Gap Between Recommended Practice for Transgender and Gender-Expansive Youth in Out-of-Home Care, which offers practical tips to children’s lawyers working with the LGBTQ+ population. It’s no surprise that a large percentage of foster children are LGBTQ+. Your caseload undoubtedly contains those who identify as being within this population, whether you know it or not. Prejudices and stigma place added stress on them as they work their way through the foster care system. Consequently, it is important for lawyers to ensure these children’s legal rights are protected. Doing so will ensure they are treated fairly and compassionately while in the foster care system.Currey provides insights and tips to help lawyers address these children’s issues.We appreciate all of you for listening and we want to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected] with your comments.Also, come meet us at the NACC conference in Anaheim on August 27, 2019. We are presenting at the conference as well as recording future episodes of this podcast. We look forward to meeting you.