You are the staff member on duty at domestic violence emergency shelter one night and receive a phone call from the local police that officers are on their way to your location with an intimate-partner violence victim named Pat. You are advised by the police dispatcher that there are two children, one male and one female, accompanying the victim to your shelter. The only other information that the dispatcher has to share with you is that the officers have advised that the victim is very distressed and appears to have been suffering from psychological abuse for an extended period of time, which tonight culminated in physical violence committed by their spouse. The victim and children were removed from the home to ensure their safety.

In your initial post, discuss what steps you might take to prepare for the arrival of this victim and minor children. Evaluate the types of support systems that you will need to arrange to assist both the victim and children in dealing with the traumatic experience they have just escaped.

Identify a list of immediate, short-term needs that must be addressed, as well as the longer-term needs that will require outside support service