“The Orbit of Domestic Violence, Life on "5" Planet's

Some years ago our Co-Founder came across Marianne Hester’s Three

Planet Model which describes how the response to a

family experiencing domestic abuse differs greatly

depending on whether you work in domestic abuse,

child protective services or within the court system.

Each sector is in effect its own planet. Each has its own

way of framing the problem, its own culture, its own

language.

Even to the extent that who is held responsible for ending

or resolving the abuse differs. Hester described how,

bouncing between these planets, are women and

children who find inconsistency and contradictions; just

the type of environment in which perpetrators can hide

and abuse.

However, through her own lived experience our Founder also recognized two more planets that Hester

did not mention. She calls it the “The Orbit of Domestic

Violence, Life on Five Planet's”

While Marianne Hester's Three Planet Model identified the conflicting responses survivors often encounter within Domestic Violence Services, Child Protection, and Family Court, my own lived experience and years of victim advocacy revealed that the reality is even more complex.

Survivors are not navigating three systems.

They are often navigating five.

Each system operates as its own "planet," with its own priorities, language, assumptions, goals, and definition of success. While each system may believe it is helping, the messages survivors receive are often contradictory, leaving victims and their children trapped in a confusing orbit of competing expectations.

The Domestic Violence Planet generally recognizes the survivor as a victim and focuses on safety, empowerment, and escape from abuse.

The primary goal is protection.

However, recommendations made within this system may later conflict with expectations imposed by child welfare agencies or family courts.

The Child Protection Planet focuses on child safety and risk reduction.

Within this system, the non-offending parent may be scrutinized for "failure to protect," even when they are also a victim of abuse.

The abusive parent may become secondary to evaluating the actions and decisions of the protective parent.

The Family Court Planet frequently prioritizes parental rights, co-parenting, and ongoing family relationships.

Behaviors recognized as abuse in one system may be reframed as conflict, communication problems, or parenting disputes in another.

As a result, survivors may be expected to cooperate with individuals they fear while simultaneously being told to protect themselves and their children.

The Mental Health Planet often focuses on symptoms rather than causes.

Trauma responses may be mistaken for personality disorders, emotional instability, or mental illness.

Instead of addressing the underlying abuse, the survivor may become the identified patient while the perpetrator remains largely invisible.

Faith communities can provide tremendous healing, support, and restoration.

However, some survivors encounter messages emphasizing forgiveness, reconciliation, submission, family preservation, or spiritual endurance without fully recognizing the dynamics of coercive control and abuse.

When improperly applied, these messages can unintentionally increase feelings of guilt, shame, or obligation to remain in unsafe situations.

At the center of these five planets stands the survivor and their children.

Unlike the professionals working within a single system, survivors must navigate all of them simultaneously.

Each system may require different documentation, different language, different standards of proof, and different expectations.

One system may validate abuse.

Another may minimize it.

One may prioritize safety.

Another may prioritize parental rights.

One may encourage separation.

Another may encourage reunification.

The result is often confusion, frustration, retraumatization, and systemic failure.

The Orbit of Domestic Violence illustrates how fragmented systems can unintentionally create gaps that perpetrators exploit.

When agencies fail to communicate, when systems contradict one another, and when victims are forced to repeatedly prove their experiences, accountability becomes difficult and safety becomes harder to achieve.

Understanding these competing planets is essential to building truly victim-centered systems that prioritize safety, accountability, dignity, and justice for survivors and their children.

— Jessika Morgan Lead Legal Victims' Rights Advocate and Co-Founder Survivors Outreach Ministries