Safety Plan

Being ready for a crisis

I can leave

• If I decide to leave, I will ______________________________________. (Practice how to get out safely. What doors, windows, elevators, stairwells or fire escapes would you use?)
• I can keep my purse and car keys ready and put them _____________ in order to leave quickly.
• I will leave money and an extra set of keys with ________________ so I can leave quickly.
• I will keep copies of important documents or keys at _____________________.

I can get help

• I can tell _________________ about the violence and request they call the police if they hear noises coming from my house.
• I can teach my children how to use the telephone to contact the police and the fire department. I will make sure they know the address.
• If I have a programmable phone, I can program emergency numbers and teach my children how to use the auto dial.
• I will use _______________ as my code word with my children or my friends so they will call for help.
• If I have to leave my home, I will go ____________________. If I cannot go to the above location, I can go ________________________.
• The domestic violence hotline number is _____________. I can call it if I need shelter.
• If it’s not safe to talk openly, I will use ______________ as the code word/signal to my children that we are going to go, or to my family or friends that we are coming.

I can use my judgment

• When I expect my partner and I are going to argue, I will try to move to a space that is lowest risk, such as _________. (Try to avoid arguments in the bathroom, garage, kitchen, near weapons or in rooms without an outside exit.)
• I will use my judgment and intuition. If the situation is very serious, I can give my partner what he wants to try and calm him down. I have to protect myself until I/we are out of danger.
• I can also teach some of these strategies to some/all of my children, as appropriate.

Planning to Leave

• I will call a domestic violence program and get help making my plans. The hotline number for the nearest program is ___________________.
• I will leave money and an extra set of keys with __________ so that I can leave quickly.
• I will keep copies of important documents or keys at ___________________________________.
• I can leave extra clothes with ___________________.
• I will keep important numbers and change for phone calls with me at all times. I know that my partner can learn who I’ve been talking to by looking at phone bills, so I can see if friends will let me use their phones and/or their phone credit cards.
• I will check with ____________ and _______________ to see who would be able to let me stay with them or lend me some money.
• I can increase my independence by opening a bank account and getting credit cards in my own name; taking classes or getting job skills; getting copies of all the important papers and documents I might need and keeping them with ____________________.
• Other things I can do to increase my independence include: _____________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________.
• I can rehearse my escape plan and, if appropriate, practice it with my children.

After I Leave

• I can change the locks on my doors and windows.
• I can replace wooden doors with steel/metal doors.
• I can install security systems including additional locks, window bars, poles to wedge against doors, an electronic system, etc.
• I can purchase rope ladders to be used for escape from second floor windows.
• I can install smoke detectors and put fire extinguishers on each floor in my home.
• I will teach my children how to use the phone to make a collect call to me if they are concerned about their safety.
• I can tell people who take care of my children which people have permission to pick them up and make sure they know how to recognize those people.
• I will give the people who take care of my children copies of custody and protective orders, and emergency numbers.

At Work and in Public

• I can inform my boss, the security supervisor and/or Employee Assistance Program about my situation. My workplace EAP number is _______.
• I can ask __________________ to screen my calls at work.
• When leaving work, I can ______________________________.
• When traveling to and from work, if there’s trouble, I can _____________________________________.
• I can change my patterns— avoid stores, banks, doctor’s appointments, laundromats and ______________________, places where my partner might find me.
• I can tell ______________ and ____________________ that I am no longer with my partner and ask them to call the police if they believe my children or I are in danger.

With an Order of Protection

• I will keep my protection order _______________. (Always keep it on or near your person.)
• I will give copies of my protection order to police departments in the community in which I live and those where I visit friends and family.
• I will give copies to my employer, my religious advisor, my closest friend, my children’s school and day care center and_________________.
• If my partner destroys my order or if I lose it, I can get another copy from the court that issued it.
• If my partner violates the order, I can call the police and report a violation, contact my attorney, call my advocate, and/or advise the court of the violation.
• I can call a domestic violence program if I have questions about how to enforce an order or if I have problems getting it enforced.

Items to Take When Leaving

• Identification for myself
• Children’s birth certificates
• My birth certificate
• Social Security cards
• School/vaccination records
• Money, checkbook, bank books, ATM cards
• Credit cards
• Medication
• Keys - house, car, office
• Driver’s license/car registration
• Insurance papers
• Public Assistance ID/Medicaid Cards
• Passports, green cards, work permits
• Divorce or separation papers
• Lease, rental agreement or house deed
• Car/mortgage payment book
• Children’s toys, security blankets, stuffed animals
• Sentimental items, photos
• My Personalized Safety Plan

My Emotional Health

• If I am feeling down, lonely or confused, I can call __________________ or the domestic violence hot line _________________.
• I can take care of my physical health needs by getting a checkup with my doctor, gynecologist and dentist. If I don’t have a doctor, I will call the local clinic or ___________ to get one.
• If I have left my partner and am considering returning, I will call ____________________ or spend time with __________ before I make a decision.
• I will remind myself daily of my best qualities. They are: ______________ _________________________________________________________ ________________________
• I can attend support groups, workshops, or classes at the local domestic violence pro gram or __________________ in order to build a support system, learn skills or get in formation.
• I will look at how and when I drink alcohol or use other drugs. If I am going to drink/ use other drugs, I will do it in a place where people are committed to my safety.
• I can read one or more of the books listed in this guide’s bibliography that were written for battered women.
• Other things I can do to feel stronger are: __________________________________ ______________________________________________________________.

Reduce your risk
No battered woman has control over her partner’s violence, but women can and do find ways to reduce their risk of harm. This safety plan is a tool to assist you in identifying options, evaluating those options and committing to a plan to reduce your risk when confronted with the threat of harm or with actual harm.

There’s no right or wrong way to develop a safety plan. Use what applies. Add to it. Change it to reflect your particular situation. Make it your own, then review it regularly and make changes as needed.

If you’re unable to find a safe place to keep a written safety plan where your partner won’t find it, maybe you can ask a friend to keep a copy for you. If not, you can ask your local domestic violence program to keep your plan for you. Whether it’s safe to write down your plan or not, it’s still important to make one.

You don't have to figure it all out on your own.
You can ask a domestic violence advocate for help.

The Personalized safety plan was adapted from the Personalized Safety Plan developed by Office of the City Attorney, City of San Diego, CA, April 1990.