Appendix G
Safety Plans

Safety Plan - Victim

I, Jane Smith, can do the following to pursue safety prior to and during a violent incident:

1. I can have my purse and car keys ready and place them in a closet near an exit door so that I can leave quickly.
2. I can tell my neighbors about the violence and ask that they call the police if they hear yelling, screaming, or loud noises coming from my house.
3. I can teach my children how to use the telephone to call 911 and provide our address and phone number.
4. I will use “TIME” as the code word with my children, relatives, and friends so they can call for help.
5. If I have to leave my home, I will go to the shelter for battered women or my friend’s home.
6. When I expect we are going to have an argument, I will try to move to a space that is lowest risk such as the foyer or back hall where the doors are located.
7. I will tell my children to go to their room or to my neighbor’s home. I will tell them NOT to intervene when we are arguing or if a violent incident occurs.

Safety Plan - Child

1. When my mom and I are not safe, I will not try to stop the fighting. I will go to my room or to my next-door neighbor’s home.
2. If I call the police for help, I will dial 911 and tell them:
   • My name is Jack Smith.
   • I need help.
   • Send the police.
   • Someone is hurting my mom.
3. My address is 5011 Crooked Oak Lane. I will remember not to hang up until the police get there.
4. A code word for “help” or “I’m scared” is ___________.
5. I will practice this with my mom every night.

Write Out a Safety Plan

Writing out a safety plan helps you to evaluate the risks and benefits of different options and identify ways to reduce risks. The checklist that follows can help you in your planning by pointing out issues you may need to address. 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. You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Ask your Employee Assistance Program counselor at work or a domestic violence advocate for help.

Remember that abusive partners tend to escalate violence when their partners try to separate. With this in mind, make special efforts to keep your written safety plan away from your partner. If you’re unable to find a safe place to keep a written safety plan — where your partner will not find it — ask a friend to keep a copy for you. If you’re working with your local domestic violence program, you can ask them to keep a copy of your plan for you. Whether it’s safe to write down your plan or not, it’s still important to make one. Ideally, you will have your safety options committed to memory.

Being Ready for a Crisis

Planning to 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 ___________________.
• 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 leave extra clothes with ___________________.

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.
• 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 money, if I need it.
• 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.
• If I have a joint bank account with my partner, I can make arrangements to ensure I will have access to money.

I can get help

• I can tell _________________ about the violence and request that 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.

After I leave

• I can enhance 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 security, my supervisor and/or the Employee Assistance Program about my situation. Phone numbers to have at work are _______.
• I can ask __________________to screen my calls at work or have my phone number changed.
• When leaving work, I can ______ ____________________________.
• When traveling to and from work, if there’s trouble, I can__________.
• I can ask for a flexible schedule.
• I can ask for a parking space closer to the building.
• I can ask to move my workspace to a safer location.
• I can ask security to escort me to and from my car.
• I can change my patterns to avoid places where my partner might find me, such as ______________________, (stores, banks, laundromats).
• 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.
• I can explore the option of telecommuting with my supervisor and human resources office.

With an order of protection

• I will keep my protection order_________, where I know it will be safe.
• 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 protection 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, cash cards
• Credit cards
• Medication/prescription cards
• Keys house, car, office
• Driver’s license/car registration
• Insurance papers
• Public Assistance ID/Medicaid Cards
• Passports, 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 hotline_________________.
• I can take care of my physical health 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 program or __________________ in order to build a support system, learn skills or get information.
• I will look at how and when I drink alcohol. If I am going to drink, I will do it in a place where people are committed to my safety.
• I can explore information available on the web sites listed in the back of this guide.
• Other things I can do to feel stronger are: ____________________________

Remember, there are many obstacles to achieving safety or to ending a relationship with a violent partner, and the choices women confront are not risk-free.

Decisions that are beneficial in the long-run, such as leaving the abuser or obtaining a protective order, can actually increase immediate danger for the woman and her children. Safety planning is the process of evaluating the risks and benefits of different options and identifying ways to reduce risks.