Lori Burns-Bucklew is a Kansas City attorney in private practice pursuing social justice in Kansas. She graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and began practicing in 1984. An accredited Child Welfare Law Specialist, she has represented children and youth, as well as parents, grandparents, and other caregivers for children whose families are subjected to state intervention. She has served as class counsel in several civil rights class action matters on behalf of children in state care. She has trained hundreds of lawyers in the Kansas City metropolitan region regarding child welfare law and children’s issues.
Social Justice by the Numbers
45%
45% of youth in juvenile correctional facilities have behavioral health needs.
151,549
151,549 adults in Kansas have suspended licenses because of unpaid court fees or fines.
7.3x
Black youth in Kansas are 3 times more likely to be arrested and 7.3 times more likely to be in secure confinement.
6%
Black Kansans are about 6% of the state’s population, but they account for 24% of all arrests in the state. The disparity in arrests has increased since 2013.
Read About Our Work
Resources
SOUL Family Legal Permanency Program
In partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this program was designed by and for young people in foster care to reflect their vision of family and supportive adult networks.
Strengthen Families Rebuild Hope
Kansas Appleseed is a part of the Strengthen Families Rebuild Hope (SFRH) coalition, an independent coalition formed in 2018 advocating for a better foster care system for Kansas kids. The coalition has convened town halls, produced reports on the status of Kansas’s foster care system, and advocated for statewide reforms. SFRH is comprised of youth who have experienced foster care, foster parents, social workers, and other allies.
Litigation Partners
The fight to reform our state’s foster care system isn’t just important to Kansans; it is also important across the country. In our 2018 lawsuit (M.B. v. Howard), we partnered with these individuals and organizations to transform the broken foster care system and end years of victimization and trauma for Kansas children.
The National Center for Youth Law is a non-profit law firm that helps low-income children achieve their potential by transforming the public agencies that serve them. For more information, please visit www.youthlaw.org.
Every day, children are harmed in America’s broken child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and healthcare systems. Through relentless, strategic advocacy and legal action, we hold governments accountable for keeping kids safe and healthy. Children’s Rights, a national non-profit organization, has made a lasting impact for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children. For more information, please visit www.childrensrights.org
DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries to help clients with their legal needs around the world. DLA Piper has a long-standing and deep commitment to giving back to our communities through pro bono legal services, and it is one of the largest providers of pro bono legal services globally. www.dlapiper.com
Join Us in Our Fight to Improve Social Justice in Kansas
In its current form, the Kansas foster care system isn’t good for children, families, or Kansas.
As Kansans, we must work together to build a state that cares for and supports all of its children.
Contact us about advocacy opportunities. We’ll provide the information, strategies, and motivation to create a supportive system that safely brings these beautiful children home.
A Clear Vision of the Future for Kansas
Thriving
All Kansans should have the resources they need to support themselves and raise healthy families.
Inclusive
All Kansans should be able to participate fully in their communities.
Just
All Kansans benefit from a fair and effective system of justice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kansas Appleseed doesn’t offer direct services for foster care recipients and stakeholders—including criminal defense services. Our focus is on systemic change, which in turn will create channels to provide services for placement, healthcare, and support. We’re hoping to break the cycle at the beginning.
It’s a great step in the right direction, reducing the number of youth in out-of-home placements, embracing best practices for supervising youth in the justice system, and investing in evidence-based, community-centered alternatives to youth incarceration.
However, there’s a long way to go. The system needs further changes, with increased support needed as soon as possible for at-risk youth, more staffing for intervention, follow-ups, and increased involvement and oversight in treatment programs—just to name a few further changes. Our efforts to improve social justice in Kansas continue.
The system-wide practice of suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid debt dramatically impacts the economic wellbeing of the individual, household, and community. It’s a punishment that only decreases the ability of the debtor to pay that debt.
Reports have also shown that increasing fines and penalties on those who cannot afford to pay does not lead to an increase in collection. This practice only leads to an increasing amount of uncollected monies. There is not a good connection between suspending someone’s driver’s license and collecting their fine or penalty.
License-for-payment traps rig the system against those experiencing poverty. Research also shows Kansans of color and those experiencing poverty are disproportionately impacted by debt-related driver’s license suspensions, and, on average, their suspensions last longer.