Two topics of current concern - domestic violence and welfare reform - are linked in this timely book, which has been developed by leading academics, practitioners, advocates, policymakers and abused welfare recipients. The chapters explore various threads that link family violence to welfare including: how public assistance can provide the financial support necessary for escaping violence; how batterers restrict their partner's employment and educational opportunities, thereby preventing them from being independent of the welfare system; how child-support regulations require disclosure about abusers that may increase the danger of family violence; and how child abuse is linked to the need for welfare.