CASA of Lexington Director Melynda Jamison said a 20% reduction in referrals occurred during the heavily restricted period of coronavirus. Screened and trained volunteers with Court Appointed Special Advocates are assigned to child victims of abuse and neglect. “So we get the worst of the worst cases, human trafficking, major sexual abuse. We’ve had a case of an eleven-year-old, that gave birth to a baby. It was dad’s baby. She birthed it herself in the middle of the night,” said Jamison.
Jamison told members of a Lexington City Council committee last week once restrictions were lifted the number of cases jumped. She said there were 21 new cases last month.
Kentucky continues to rank number one nationally for cases of child abuse. “People say, well, what if it’s not. Well you haven’t created any harm. But you, potentially, have saved a child from a very unsafe situation,” explained Jamison.
Jamison told of one child who had undergone 21 different placements over a six-year period. She also cited an example where a CASA volunteer helped spot a child’s need for eyeglasses and that made all the difference in making educational gains.
