This Guideline, the Family Violence Assessment and Intervention Guideline: Child Abuse & Intimate Partner Violence (2016) replaces the Ministry of Health’s 2002 Family Violence Intervention Guidelines: Child and Partner Abuse. The revision has been informed by contemporary international and national research and health guidelines for responding to victims of violence, extensive consultation with the health sector in New Zealand, and practicebased evidence.

The main differences between this document and the 2002 Guidelines include:

• We reframed the document to clarify that the health sector’s role in responding to family violence is part of a larger societal repertoire of responses designed to support healthy and nurturing relationships.

• We expanded the introduction to include sections discussing ethics and principles guiding the document, as well as updated information on the prevalence and health consequences of violence across the lifespan.

• We have retained the six-step process for identifying and responding to victims of violence, and woven in an emphasis on safe process and the importance of consultation with senior colleagues when responding to family violence.