Abstract
SUMMARY Using focus group methodology, we explored experiences of and barriers to help-seeking among battered mothers of children under six years of age. Forty-three women who had experienced recent domestic violence from diverse socio-economic backgrounds participated in a series of focus groups. The findings suggest that women perceived punitive consequences upon reporting domestic violence, declined to seek services out of fear of child removal, and encountered few, if any, appropriate services for their young children exposed to domestic violence. The inherent tensions in practice philosophies among battered women's advocates and child protective services are discussed with specific attention to the conceptualization of exposure to domestic violence as a form of child abuse (i.e., neglect, failure to protect, emotional abuse). Implications for service delivery and policy are suggested.
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