Kathrine Lester

Kathrine Lester is a dedicated national activist with 15 years of experience advocating for children and families and exposing systemic corruption in child protective services (CPS). Her work was inspired by a deeply personal tragedy: 14 years ago, her infant grandson was wrongfully removed from her care by a CPS social worker who violated policy and misrepresented facts, despite her legal background and clean record. Transforming this personal loss into a nationwide mission, Kathrine now works independently with multiple advocacy groups across the United States to protect families and hold CPS agencies accountable.

Drawing on a 20-year federal career with the Social Security Administration and formal paralegal training, Kathrine provides families with guidance, resources, and support when legal representation is unavailable. She runs Facebook communities with over 67,000 members, hosts regular Zoom sessions to assist parents navigating CPS cases, and collaborates with organizations such as the Family Forward Project, Family Fraud Warrior Project, and Rescue the Fosters. Kathrine is currently pursuing a federal lawsuit against the agency responsible for her grandson’s removal, having discovered evidence of misconduct by the same social worker in a prior case that resulted in a $1.2 million settlement.

Her advocacy focuses on systemic reform, including abolishing federal ASFA Block Grants that incentivize wrongful child removals, auditing CPS offices nationwide, eliminating anonymous reporting, and raising public awareness of constitutional rights violations. Kathrine’s mission is to ensure children remain protected, families retain their legal rights, and the foster care system is held accountable for its failures.