Dependency Advocacy Center Board Listing- 20260630

DAC’s mission is to preserve families and restore dignity through zealous advocacy

Values:

DAC stands with parents through one of the most difficult experiences of their lives: being at risk of losing their children through the permanent severance of family ties. We provide legal representation and holistic care that honors the dignity and humanity of every parent. While the majority of our clients are parents, about 17% of our court clients are children and we are committed to serving both parents and children to operationalize our vision of a future where family families are supported to stay together. We believe that family defense must prioritize reunification, and ensure that care is offered before, during, and after court involvement to support healing.

DEI Statement:

At Dependency Advocacy Center, our mission is to create an inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment where respect, kindness, and empathy guide all interactions with our staff, stakeholders, and clients. We are dedicated to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion within our organization. We firmly believe that every parent and child entering the dependency system deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. These values are not only applicable to our clients but also extend to all staff members.

We are committed to continuous learning and self-reflection on matters concerning diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Through ongoing education, training, and critical analysis of our progress, we seek to deepen our understanding and awareness of these issues and the impact it has on our clients and staff members. By doing so, we can more effectively advocate for clients and promote all aspects of inclusion, including diverse representation in our leadership and staff.

At DAC, we are determined to increase representative diversity within our organization. We aspire to become an actively pro-diversity company and a strong ally to all the communities we serve. We recognize the importance of intentional efforts to support individuals of diverse ethnicities, abilities, genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, and all races and religious affiliations.

Incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion practices is at the core of our daily work at DAC. We strive to integrate these principles into every aspect of our organization to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.

Programs/Services:

While the majority of our clients are parents, about 17% of our court clients are children and we are committed to serving both parents and children to further our vision of a future where family families are supported to stay together. We believe that family defense must prioritize reunification and ensure that care is offered before, during, and after court involvement.

Dependency Advocacy Center is one of the only organizations in California that provides comprehensive, holistic, interdisciplinary legal representation for parents in dependency court. Our model combines attorneys, social workers, and mentor parents beginning from the moment a family is at risk of separation. This approach ensures that families are advised and represented by people who understand the law, the social and clinical contexts, and the lived experience of navigating the child welfare system.

Our holistic, interdisciplinary legal services provider leads to better outcomes. Parents receive support that is both practical and personal. Judges and child welfare workers are given a fuller picture of the family’s situation. Children are more likely to return home and less likely to be removed in the first place.

DAC’s work reaches beyond the courtroom. We often become involved before a case is filed, helping families stabilize so they are not brought into court at all. We ensure that families know their rights, connect parents to resources, and provide support through negotiating voluntary agreements designed to keep their children safe. We help tell the full story of a family in a system where the voices of parents are often overlooked or misrepresented. And we bring compassion, rigor, and respect for parents into spaces that are often defined by judgment and fear.

We invest in the next generation of family defense. DAC is one of the only places in the state where law students and early-career attorneys passionate about family defense can receive supervision, mentorship, and training in a nationally-recognized best practice model. Our staff learn to work together across disciplines, and are supported to stay in the work long term, creating a new generation of family defenders.

Ideal Candidate:

DAC strives to have a Board of Directors that is diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, and age. Additionally, we seek a Board with an intentional mix of the skills, competencies, backgrounds, and professional experiences and networks that allow us to effectively resource and govern the organization.

Based on an analysis of the skills, identities, and lived experiences of current Directors, and the future strategic direction of our work, for the next cohort of Directors we are especially prioritizing leaders who have expertise in:

A. Fund Development experience, especially in the area of individual giving
B. Relationships and networks in philanthropic communities
C. Financial Planning/Investments
D. Audit and Compliance for non-profit organizations
E. Marketing and Communications (design, strategy, and creativity)

Why you should consider joining this board:

Participation on the DAC Board is an opportunity to support an organization providing interdisciplinary legal defense, a nationally recognized best practice. DAC’s role as an early adopter and sustainer of this model of representation for the past 18 years makes it unique in California and vital to the ecosystem of support for families in Santa Clara County.

If DAC were not here, many families would walk into court alone or with a lawyer who doesn’t have the time, capacity, or skills to do the job well. Parents would be misunderstood, unheard, and blamed. Cases would take longer. More children would be adopted away from their families, communities, and culture. There would be no mentor parent, no social worker, and no one to offer them hope. A model that centers compassion and accountability would be lost.

The DAC Board is a hardworking and committed group of leaders ranging in size from five to fifteen members. We are a governing Board, focusing on core areas of fundraising, finance, audit and compliance. We also participate at a high-level in setting organizational vision, mission and strategy, partnering with staff to ensure the success of our programs.

Fundraising/Financial Commitment:

Board members are expected to be donors to DAC, making a personally meaningful annual gift, and to help ensure the financial sustainability of the organization by making connections to other potential donors and funders.

Additional Information:

None Provided

To Apply:

Year Founded:

2008

Service Region(s):

San Francisco Area

Service Area(s):

Access to Justice, Children & Youth, Civil Rights, Racial Justice

Annual Revenue:

$1 million – $5 million

Employees:

26-50

Board Members:

6-10

Length of Board Term:

Three-year initial term, may be reelected to serve up to three consecutive terms.

Board Meeting Type:

Hybrid (both virtual and in-person)

Service Per Month Expected:

Less than 5 hours

Board Meetings Per Year:

Board members are expected to attend bi-monthly Board meetings via Zoom and an annual retreat in person in San Jose (hybrid participation may be accommodated.)

Dependency Advocacy Center

Mission Statement