The authors explain that the presence of one type of violence in the home is a strong predictor of other types of family violence. Thus, when a woman is battered by her domestic partner, there is a good chance her children are abused as well. However, when responding to violence in the home, agencies tend to handle either battered women or child abuse. The needs and rights of both groups are not seen as a whole, thus subjugating the needs of one in favor of the needs of the other. The authors interviewed 14 practitioners working in either child protective services or domestic violence services. The goal of the study was to determine how child protective workers and domestic violence workers could collaborate in order to enhance the safety of women and children. The authors suggest that a more holistic approach that considers the needs of both women and children together would be more effective in combating the cycle of family violence. Practitioners should engage in safety planning with these women and children in order to give voice to the woman’s perceptions of the violence. The authors examine previous research concerning safety planning and focus on three factors that influence practitioner intervention: practitioner definitions of family violence, legislative requirements concerning family violence, and the New South Wales child protection statutory authority’s response to domestic violence. In conclusion, the authors suggest that interagency guidelines for government and non-government agencies working with family violence victims would help improve consistency in practice. References