Interventions must be based on careful assessment of the family's structures, resources and strengths, roles, boundaries, communication patterns, conflict resolution patterns, power distribution, values, health history, emotional climate, developmental stages, stressors, and support systems. Assessment data then can be used in diagnosing problems and concerns and in setting short- and long-term goals. Primary nursing interventions can focus on promoting nonviolence in family interactions and on identifying families at risk. Secondary prevention requires identifying families already using violence. Interventions include crisis intervention, referral to protective services, mental health services, and/or family therapy, and long-term case management and followup. Tertiary preventions are usually carried out with families which have been broken up because of violence. Children in such families need to have the emotional effects of the violence assessed and dealt with. A sample of the nursing process in a hypothetical case is provided to illustrate how nursing care can be given to the victims of family violence. Tables and 24 notes are supplied.