Press Release

The Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance Inc. in association with first 5 Kern is proud to announce the formation of the Domestic Violence Reduction Project and the Guardianship Caregiver Project.

Young children, especially those who are subjected to abuse and neglect, will be given a chance to grow up in a nurturing and stable home environment thanks to a recent grant awarded to Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance by First 5 Kern. GBLA was awarded $870,303 to expand legal services in the areas of domestic violence and guardianship. Both programs will make a world of difference in the lives of children who live in detrimental and uncertain conditions. Attorneys and paralegals from both programs will provide the full range of legal assistance and representation while Case Managers assist the children and family with obtaining other vital services such as health care and mental health screenings. Children, ages 0-5, are targeted because, according to First 5 Kern, 'current research in brain development indicated that the emotional , physical and intellectual environment to which a child is exposed in the earliest years of life has a profound impact on how the brain is organized. The relationship and contacts a child has with parents and caregivers significantly influence how a child will function in school and later in life.' The purpose of the Domestic Violence Reduction program is to protect children from further exposure to violence. Multiple problems occur among children that are associated with a child's witnessing assaults of one parent by another in the home. The American Bar Association reports that, 'in homes where partner abuse occurs, children are 1,500 times more likely to be abused, forty to sixty percent of men who abuse women also abuse children, and fathers who batter mothers are two times more likely to seek sole physical custody of their children than are non-violent fathers.' A study published in Contemporary Economic Policy by two economists demonstrate that making legal aid accessible to victims of domestic violence is the most effective way to break the cycle of violence.

The Guardianship Caregiver Project provides legal and case management services to eligible grandparents and other caregivers who are seeking a legal guardianship over children ages 0-5. Grandparents and other caregivers may be seeking guardianship due to many factors. These include parents that are unable to care for their children due to incarceration, parental substance abuse, child abuse, neglect, domestic violence, divorce, death, and many other reasons.

GBLA will be co-locating offices in Ridgecrest, Shafter, Delano, Taft, Frazier Park, and Lake Isabella. This will enable us to provide services in these areas one day per week to assist a greater amount of people with domestic violence and guardianship issues. Translators will be available for Spanish speaking, ASL and other languages. Both programs will provide comprehensive legal and case management services throughout Kern County and should be up and running by Dec. 2007. If anyone would like to make an appointment to be seen in the areas mentioned above, as well as Bakersfield, please feel free to call our office at 661-325-5943 or toll free at 1-888-292-4252.