In the context of this submission, we note that our clients frequently seek SHE services to support them through the legal process; assistance that is in addition to addressing the experienced violence and abuse itself. It is also our experience that the legal response can fail to adequately address the severity of the violence, the impact on children and the ongoing effects of trauma. Our clients often express their inability to create a sense of safe environment in which to live and recover from the effects of a perpetrator’s coercion, control and violence.
