Australian research conducted by Douglas and Walsh documents several troubling trends in the treatment of battered mothers by the child protection system in Australia. The choices that child protection workers make are shaped by legal mandates triggered when an allegation of abuse or neglect is made. When defining exposure to domestic violence as abusive or neglectful, however, the ways in which child protection workers view mothers who experience domestic violence are colored, thereby changing the nature of the response. The combination of the legal structure and myths about domestic violence and women who experience domestic violence combine to create a mindset among child protection professionals that sets mothers in opposition to their children. These trends are not unique to the Australian child protection system. This article reviews domestic violence, child protection, and the treatment of mothers from an American legal perspective, which show how the well-developed and well-funded criminal justice system intent to improve relationships between mothers and child protection has not been successful. References