The longitudinal study reported followed the experiences of 42 battered women and their 124 children for 3 years in the late 1970's. All of the women had left home with their children to find shelter in a women's refuge. The study focused on the women's marital deterioration at a time when they were considering how they would cope with it. The book's second section contains conference papers, most of which address specific research projects, dealing with how practitioners can provide more appropriate and effective help to battered women. Topics covered are (1) the legal background of the problem, (2) the police response to violence against women in the home, (3) the response of social workers to domestic violence, (4) social and medical agencies' contact with battered women, and (5) refuges and housing for battered women. Policy implications are discussed in the book's third section. It is recommended that funding be provided to increase the number and services of women's refuges. Training for professionals who contact battered women in the course of their work is also urged. The gap between legislation and implementation as well as between theory and practice is also noted, as is the need for research on the children of violent fathers and the fathers themselves. An examination of the structural roots of violence against wives is recommended. A 200-item bibliography and a subject index are provided.