'It's no life, this fear' women's experiences of services when in situations of family violence

This study examines the experiences of women who have been in situations of family violence, and identifies the barriers they faced when seeking assistance from a variety of services. The research aims to contribute to the knowledge base of the health, social welfare, legal and policing services which respond to calls for assistance from women faced with family violence. The service system is varied in how it conceptualises family violence, and in the aims of the services it provides. The research reports that the service system does not always meet the needs of victim/survivors, and reveals that service providers are often ill equipped to deal with the complexity of violence. Due to the length of waiting lists and the quality of interventions women experienced particular difficulty in accessing advice based services. A number of recommendations are made for improvements in services.