Initiatives

The Advocates of Color Network (ACN) is comprised of domestic violence advocates, activists, and allies who identify as a people of color, and who are committed to ending domestic violence. The ACN t empowers victims that identify as people of color by enhancing the quality of culturally-specific services provided by Shoulder to Shoulder and West Virginia’s licensed domestic violence programs. The ACN serves as an intersectionality resource to domestic violence service providers across the state by providing education and training about the intersectionality of racism and domestic violence, including how elements of oppression perpetuate domestic violence in marginalized communities. It’s also a resource for issues where policy impacts survivors and victims of color.

The Rainbow Justice League (RJL) is a state-wide resource for domestic and sexual violence networks and allied agencies. The RJL provides a communal space for leadership development, organizational capacity building, and supportive networking. It also seeks to empower advocates and community partners who identify as LGBTQIA+ and allies. 

The RJL is committed to promoting the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community. It works to address concerns, provide training, and enhance culturally-specific services with training and coordination provided by Shoulder to Shoulder for LGBTQIA+ victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, stalking, and dating violence.

WVCADV assures supportive and compassionate delivery of services throughout the state by providing technical assistance to licensed DV programs and other systems that assess and respond to complex individual and family circumstances.  Many forms of technical assistance are available:

• How to understand and meet grant reporting requirements.
• How to meet evolving federal and state regulations.
• How to correctly observe confidentiality in complex circumstances.
• How to create, manage, and update a website.
• How to support reaching out to other systems to build better local collaboration.
• How licensed programs can help advocates manage DVAC credits and certification.
• … and more.

Survivors with Children Workgroup

This statewide, multi-disciplinary workgroup:

• Looks at how state law and policy helps and/or hinders safety of victims of domestic violence and their children;
• Educates leaders on changes in law and policy when needed;
• Receives input from front-line workers on effective strategies, emerging issues, and areas of concern;
• Develops cross-disciplinary training on the co-existence of domestic violence and child abuse;
• Produces guiding principles for working with families experiencing domestic violence in a way that supports and creates safety for victims and holds batterers accountable for abusive behaviors.

The Legal Assistance to Victims initiative provides direct civil legal assistance and advocacy services statewide to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence.

The partnership supports the work of 14 regional direct service teams of attorneys and advocates providing comprehensive, coordinated services to assist victims in attaining long-term self-sufficiency and independence from abuse. A team response is used to promote victim safety and maximizes options for self-sufficiency and empowerment. This partnership provides ongoing opportunities for training and relationship-building between WVCADV and Legal Aid of West Virginia on both the local and statewide level.

The Behavioral Health Initiative is comprised of domestic violence advocates and behavioral health providers from across West Virginia. The focus of this committee is on public policy, cross-disciplinary training on the intersection of domestic violence, traumatic brain injury, mental health, and substance abuse. The initiative spurs establishment of collaborations designed to offer trauma-informed cross-delivery of services to people who have been victimized by domestic violence and who experience mental health / substance abuse issues.

Health Partnership is a statewide advisory committee consisting of representatives from WVCADV member programs and various health agencies in West Virginia. Partners on the committee include  DHHR Bureau for Public Health programs, hospitals, other health care representatives and domestic violence (DV) advocates from community-based programs.

The partnership focuses on education/training, policy and practice, public awareness, issue-specific concerns (such as the intersection of substance abuse and DV), reproductive coercion, and the development of training tools designed to improve health care response to domestic violence.

The Network to End Violence in Relationships in West Virginia (NEVR in WV) is a group of statewide partners working in various sectors of prevention. Our mission is to advance innovative pathways for training and resources, and strengthen protective factors in the prevention of intimate partner violence by engaging communities across the state in a multidisciplinary, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed approach.

NEVR in WV envisions a West Virginia that prioritizes the safety of all residents by creating an environment where our understanding of prevention work, cultural perspective, and meaningful systems collaboration can grow. These community engagement efforts will work in tandem with direct services to reduce barriers and streamline access for anyone experiencing intimate partner violence.

If you are interested in joining NEVR in WV, email Jessica Bender, Outreach and Prevention Coordinator, or call (304)965-3552 ext. 105.

For many survivors, a connection to faith and a faith community can be an important aspect of their lives, and one that can assist in their healing after they’ve experienced harm. We also know that a survivor within a faith community may experience unique barriers to accessing help. For example, a person causing harm may using religious texts to justify abuse, which may prevent a survivor from reporting, or a community member may encourage them to stay because of religious beliefs.

WVCADV is working with faith leaders across the state to build stronger relationships so we can all better support survivors of faith. Our Faith Leader Focus Group is comprised of five members who have volunteered their time to provide feedback on the development of the Faith Lunch and Learn series which is open to all advocates and faith leaders. This series is being hosted through October 2024 and is providing the foundation for our continued collaboration between faith communities and our licensed domestic violence programs.

If you are a faith leader who is interested in attending this virtual series, you can register here. If you are interested in joining our Faith Leader Focus Group or would like to request a training for your faith community, email Jessica Bender, Outreach and Prevention Coordinator, or call (304)965-3552 ext. 105.

WVCADV educates and raises awareness of the intersectionality of oppression including racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism. These efforts have increased service providers’ understanding of the impact of oppression on victims and survivors from communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized communities. Our anti-oppression work enables more effective and respectful responses, services, and outreach in marginalized communities throughout the state.

Advocates Aspiring for Equity, or AAE, is a workgroup comprised of advocates and WVCADV staff. AAE will work in conjunction with Shoulder to Shoulder, the new culturally-specific statewide organization. Currently, members of these groups are developing the online course, Foundations for Anti-Oppression Work, as a prerequisite for membership to AAE. Meetings will resume in 2025.

The West Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force (HTTF), overseen by the United States Attorney Offices of the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia, brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, service providers, victim advocates, educators, and representatives from the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office.

The task force convenes bi-annually, alternating between the southern and north central regions of the state. It comprises several subcommittees, including a steering committee, victim services, training and awareness, and investigations.

The HTTF takes a proactive stance against both labor and sex trafficking while supporting victims through collaborative efforts across various fields. It prioritizes statewide awareness of human trafficking, especially among groups likely to come into contact with victims.

The task force also offers training to law enforcement, service providers, and government agencies to enhance their ability to identify and respond to trafficking cases effectively. The task force plays a pivotal role in initiating and coordinating trafficking investigations with federal, state, and local authorities. Additionally, it establishes a network of service providers, victim advocates, agencies, and faith-based organizations committed to aiding trafficking victims.

Lastly, the HTTF s develops and implements standard protocols for identifying victims, providing services, and making referrals, while employing rigorous statistical methods to evaluate the prevalence and extent of trafficking.

For more information about West Virginia’s HTTF, please contact Stefani Keys,  WVCADHuman Trafficking and Housing Coordinator.

We often consider domestic violence as something that occurs behind closed doors, but it can also affect a survivor beyond the walls of the home. More than 1 in 10 employees reported experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) over the past year, and 8 million days of paid work are lost by survivors of IPV every year.

Policies that address how to recognize and respond to IPV in the workplace allow employers and coworkers an opportunity to support someone who may be experiencing harm.

WVCADV is beginning to develop partnerships with statewide businesses and agencies to provide training and develop policies that address IPV.

We’re also training advocates across the state to provide workplace trainings in their local service areas. To ensure we’re meeting the needs of survivors and employers, we’re gathering feedback for our evolving training toolkit through two anonymous surveys. If you’d like to provide your input, you can click the links below!

• Survivor
• Employer

Learn the basics from WVCADV about supporting employees experiencing IPV. To request a training for your workplace, email Jessica Bender, Outreach and Prevention Coordinator, or call (304)965-3552 ext. 105.

We’re here to help.