The Domestic Violence Advisory Council (DVAC) of Kern was established in 1999 by the Kern County Board of Supervisors, under the umbrella of the Kern County Network for Children. DVAC is an issues-based collaborative whose mission is to bring together community organizations that serve individuals and families affected by domestic violence (DV). By sharing knowledge, training and other resources at our monthly meetings and annual conference, our community is working together to find solutions to end domestic violence. A few of our community partners include…

Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault
Bakersfield Police Department
California State University at Bakersfield
Clinica Sierra Vista
Correctional Counseling for Change
Foster Family Network-ChildNet
Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance
Kern County Aging and Adult
Kern County Department of Human Services
Kern County Department of Public Health
Kern County District Attorney's Office Kern County Network for Children
Kern County Mental Health
Kern County Probation Department
Kern County Sheriff's Office
Kern County Superior Court
Women’s Center - High Desert
and many other community members...

While DVAC does not provide direct services, the community partners work together on committees to address specific domestic violence issues and provide recommendations to community leaders, resulting in positive system changes. Committees include:

Children and Adolescent Issues Committee / Glenda Love-Chair or Nada Yorke-contact
Legislative Issues Committee / Nada Yorke
Criminal Justice Committee / Nada Yorke-Chair
Domestic Violence Court Committee / Nada Yorke-Chair
Education and Conference Committee / Cindy London-President
Domestic Violence Death Review Team / Cmdr Joe Pilkington-Chair
Administrative and Outreach Committee