The tendency of social work intervention, education, and policy to emphasize the family unit often conflicts with actions that may be in the best interests of the battered woman. Social workers are not trained to handle violent situations and may fear involvement with abused women. Moreover, they often base such interventions inappropriately on traditional psychosexual Freudian theory. Social agencies themselves lack a cohesive approach to battered women and offer only narrow or fragmented services. Police, courts, and attorneys have also been reluctant to help victims of domestic violence because of the danger involved in breaking up family disputes and the courts' commitment to the sanctity of the family. Civil remedies and criminal actions available to abused women are very limited. Protective orders are not treated seriously, and criminal cases are difficult to prosecute. Although police officers are usually the first representatives of the law enforcement system that battered women encounter, they frequently encourage victims to reason and reconcile with the attacker and do not inform women of their legal rights. To redress these problems, a multidisciplinary model is proposed which consists of intake, social work, legal, and collaboration components. During an intake interview, a trained social worker would assess a client's needs, educate her about basic survival skills and legal rights and formulate an intervention plan. The social work component would assist the battered woman with psychosocial problems during the crisis period through referrals and individual and peer group counseling, as well as conduct outreach and advocacy activities. The legal division's work would encompass advice and legal representation, liaison with police, and possibly reform efforts on behalf of battered women as a class. The collaboration component would insure integrated and coordinated intervention within the entire service and be responsible for evaluations, policies regarding confidentiality, and professional consultations. The paper includes 24 references.