Civil Legal Services and Domestic Violence: Missed Service Opportunities

Domestic violence can have a negative effect on multiple areas of a woman's life. While much focus has been on criminal legal interventions for domestic violence, civil legal services can provide a unique constellation of responses to the needs of women who experience domestic violence, which may be unfamiliar to many social workers. Civil legal services can greatly improve a woman's circumstances when targeting material needs such as housing, employment, and economic conditions. This article describes the differences in focus and impact of criminal and civil legal interventions for domestic violence, provides an in-depth illustration of how civil legal services can address a myriad of needs for women who experience domestic violence, and addresses the role social workers can play in assisting clients in the civil legal process.