2011 West Virginia Code
CHAPTER 48. DOMESTIC RELATIONS
ARTICLE 26. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT.
§48-26-902. Purpose of local advisory councils.

The purpose of a local advisory council is to increase the awareness and understanding of domestic violence and its consequences and to reduce the incidence of domestic violence within the locality by:

(1) Promoting effective strategies for identification of the existence of domestic violence and intervention by public and private agencies serving persons who are victims of domestic violence;

(2) Providing for public education;

(3) Facilitating communication among public and private agencies that provide programs to assist victims and programs of intervention for perpetrators;

(4) Providing assistance to public and private agencies and providers of services to develop statewide procedures and community and staff education, including procedures to review fatalities; and

(5) Developing a comprehensive plan of data collection concerning domestic violence in cooperation with courts, prosecutors, law-enforcement officers, health care practitioners and other local agencies, in a manner that protects the identity of victims of domestic violence. Nothing contained in this subdivision shall be construed to modify or diminish any existing law relating to the confidentiality of records.