Safety Planning

What is a personal safety plan?

The most dangerous time for many victims of domestic violence is when they are thinking about or actively trying to end the relationship. A personal safety plan is a way for you to identify strategies to protect yourself during this dangerous time.

Inform those you trust about your situation. Develop an emergency signal with a neighbor or friend which will alert them when to call the police.

Have a bag packed in case you need to leave in a hurry. Include money, clothes, birth certificates for you and your children, Social Security cards, pay stubs,checkbooks,passports,driver license, lease, keys, address book, green card, medications, insurance papers, school records, jewelry and favorite toys.

Try to document the abuse. Make police reports and include pictures of your injuries in your medical file. This can be very helpful if you decide to take legal action in the future.

Consider obtaining an order of pro-tection. This is a court order mandating that your abuser stay away from you. Your home, place of employment and children's school can all be listed as protected places on your order of protection.

Plan an escape route and practice it with your children.

This following links provides guidance on developing safety plans at home, in public, or at work for victims of domestic violence. Safety planning info is also available in Spanish, Polish, Bosnian, Russian, Korean, Mandarin, and Arabic at the bottom of this page.

Domestic Violence Safety Plan - English

Domestic Violence Safety Plan - Arabic

Domestic Violence Safety Plan - Bosnian

Domestic Violence Safety Plan - Korean

Domestic Violence Safety Plan - Mandarin

Domestic Violence Safety Plan - Polish

Domestic Violence Safety Plan - Russian

Domestic Violence Safety Plan - Spanish