"The primary goal of this model protocol is to help advocates better meet the safety needs of all battered women by providing them with the tools to address service needs and options for battered women and children impacted by their own or another's substance use, misuse or addiction. Our challenge as advocates is to provide as safe an environment as possible for all who use our services or work at our programs Ideally, this protocol and model policy will serve as a first step toward identifying options for both battered women impacted by substance use and their advocates."
"Agency policies supporting a substance-free environment will need to be balanced with a multi-step approach that provides opportunities for substance-abusing women to safely discuss their daily struggle with sobriety and their compulsion to use. This effort will help chemically dependent battered women achieve both justice and freedom from abusers who often use their addiction to gain or maintain power and control."
