Safety Planning
Guide to Safety Planning
Safety Planning is a "harm reduction" strategy that empowers victims to consider their safety whether or
not they are still in the abusive relationship, or are thinking about leaving. This enables a victim to think
about possibilities for staying safe on a daily basis. Each person should develop a safety plan that is
tailored to an individual's situation. Use the following information as a guide.
Safety At Home
Plan an escape route. Do this just as you would think about a fire drill. Even if there are no immediate plans to leave, it helps to know the plan should it become necessary in an emergency.
Think about where to go and who would help.
Identify a support network. Who can be trusted to help in carrying out the plan? It is helpful to have someone to check-in with on a regular basis.
Develop a code word to use with the support person. A code word could help the support person know when assistance is needed from the police.
As soon as the children are old enough, they should be taught to dial 911. Make sure 911 is on speed dial with a sticker.
Packing an overnight bag and leaving it at a friends house or in a place where the batterer will not find it is an option if it is not safe to return home. Again, safety is the first priority.
If You Need To Leave, Take With YOU:
Marriage and Driver’s licenses
Birth certificates – yours and family’s
Money, checkbooks, credit cards, ATM cards, mortgage payment book, car title
Social Security card, work permit, green card, passport
Divorce, custody papers and restraining order
Insurance papers and medical records
Lease, rental agreement and/or house deed
School and health records
Keys – house, car, office, friend’s
Medications, glasses, hearing aids, etc. needed by you and your family
Personal items – address book, pictures, toys
Safety During A Violent Incident
BE AWARE OF YOUR IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS.
Go to a safe area that has an exit. Not a bathroom (near hard surfaces) or a kitchen (near knives), or near any weapons.
Stay in a room with a phone. Call 911, a friend or a neighbor, if possible. Inform them if there are weapons in the home.
Know your escape route. Practice how to get out of your home safely. Visualize your escape route.
Have a packed bag ready. Keep it hidden in a handy place in order to leave quickly, or leave the bag elsewhere if your abuser searches your home.
Devise a code word or signal. Tell your children, grandchildren or neighbors so you can communicate to them that you need the police.
Know where you’re going. Plan where you will go if you have to leave home, even if you don’t think you’ll need to.
Trust your judgment. Consider anything that you feel will keep you safe and give you time to figure out what to do next. Sometimes it is best to flee, sometimes to placate the abuser – anything that works to protect yourself and the children.
REMEMBER THE PLANNED ESCAPE ROUTE!
If there has been a code developed with someone and there is time to call that person, make them aware that assistance is needed.
Have the children call 911 and/or remind them of the escape drill
Planning To Leave
Call the National Domestic Violence 24-hour Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE(7233) (1-800-787-3224 TTY) for more information and referrals.
Safety Planning is a "harm reduction" strategy that empowers victims to consider their safety whether or
not they are still in the abusive relationship, or are thinking about leaving. This enables a victim to think
about possibilities for staying safe on a daily basis. Each person should develop a safety plan that is
tailored to an individual's situation. Use the following information as a guide.
Safety At Home
Plan an escape route. Do this just as you would think about a fire drill. Even if there are no immediate plans to leave, it helps to know the plan should it become necessary in an emergency.
Think about where to go and who would help.
Identify a support network. Who can be trusted to help in carrying out the plan? It is helpful to have someone to check-in with on a regular basis.
Develop a code word to use with the support person. A code word could help the support person know when assistance is needed from the police.
As soon as the children are old enough, they should be taught to dial 911. Make sure 911 is on speed dial with a sticker.
Packing an overnight bag and leaving it at a friends house or in a place where the batterer will not find it is an option if it is not safe to return home. Again, safety is the first priority.
If You Need To Leave, Take With YOU:
Marriage and Driver’s licenses
Birth certificates – yours and family’s
Money, checkbooks, credit cards, ATM cards, mortgage payment book, car title
Social Security card, work permit, green card, passport
Divorce, custody papers and restraining order
Insurance papers and medical records
Lease, rental agreement and/or house deed
School and health records
Keys – house, car, office, friend’s
Medications, glasses, hearing aids, etc. needed by you and your family
Personal items – address book, pictures, toys
Safety During A Violent Incident
BE AWARE OF YOUR IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS.
Go to a safe area that has an exit. Not a bathroom (near hard surfaces) or a kitchen (near knives), or near any weapons.
Stay in a room with a phone. Call 911, a friend or a neighbor, if possible. Inform them if there are weapons in the home.
Know your escape route. Practice how to get out of your home safely. Visualize your escape route.
Have a packed bag ready. Keep it hidden in a handy place in order to leave quickly, or leave the bag elsewhere if your abuser searches your home.
Devise a code word or signal. Tell your children, grandchildren or neighbors so you can communicate to them that you need the police.
Know where you’re going. Plan where you will go if you have to leave home, even if you don’t think you’ll need to.
Trust your judgment. Consider anything that you feel will keep you safe and give you time to figure out what to do next. Sometimes it is best to flee, sometimes to placate the abuser – anything that works to protect yourself and the children.
REMEMBER THE PLANNED ESCAPE ROUTE!
If there has been a code developed with someone and there is time to call that person, make them aware that assistance is needed.
Have the children call 911 and/or remind them of the escape drill
Planning To Leave
Call the National Domestic Violence 24-hour Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE(7233) (1-800-787-3224 TTY) for more information and referrals.
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If you are in danger call 911 or reach the The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE(7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224.