Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread epidemic in our culture, which affects millions of women and children each year (Black et al., 2011). Past research has found that not only are children affected by the family violence through witnessing and experiencing it, they can also be used by their mother's abuser as a way to further isolate and control her (Beeble, Bybee, & Sullivan, 2007; Bemiller, 2008; Hardesty, 2002; Hardesty & Ganong, 2006; Harrison, 2008; Kurz, 1996; Mbilinyi, Edleson, Hagemeister, & Beeman, 2007; Moe, 2009; Slote et al., 2005). The dynamics of IPV can have a negative impact on the relationship between women and their children. Historically, domestic violence (DV) agencies have used safety planning as a service to work individually with survivors of abuse. Family safety planning (FSP) is an intervention designed to address some of the consequences of the abuse for both women and children by incorporating elements of traditional safety planning and family counseling. This was a qualitative study based on the narratives of fifteen women and their children to understand the complexities of the FSP sessions. We found that families' sessions were individualized based on both the level of communication women and children had with the batterer and the families' abilities to talk about safety. Additionally, women and children discussed how the session provided an opportunity to have deeper communication about concerns that they may have not felt comfortable to do in the past. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
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