Safety Planning

Victims cannot control whether or not the person who is causing them harm will be abusive. However, they can control what steps they can take to try to minimize the harm. For this reason, it is important for victims to think about safety planning for themselves and their families, whether they live with their abuser or not. Every situation is unique – including whether they live with the abuser, whether they just fled the home, or whether they’ve never lived together – and we advise all victims to speak with a domestic violence advocate to create a personal safety plan that addresses their specific situations.

The National Domestic Hotline has an interactive tool that can be used to create a safety plan if a victim is unable or not yet ready to meet with an advocate. However, victims may want to review Internet Safety first.

After ensuring they are safe, victims can click here to access the tool: Create Your Personal Safety Plan

For those not ready to contact an advocate or utilize the interactive tool, here are 10 starting points for a safety plan:

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  Try to keep your phone charged and on you at all times. Know what buttons to push to make an emergency call to 911.
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  Keep wallet, purse, keys, cash, medications, and important papers and phone numbers in an accessible place so that you can grab them if you need to leave quickly.
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  During an argument, remain in rooms with access to an outside door, and avoid rooms with readily available weapons and hard surfaces like kitchens, bathrooms and garages, if possible.
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  Tell trusted neighbors about the situation and ask that they call the police if they hear suspicious noises. You can even set up a code word or signal such as turning on certain lights or closing blinds in a specific window with them.
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  Teach children to call 911 and set up a code word or signal with them.
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  Change your routine, including frequently visited locations like grocery stores and laundromats, as well as routes taken to work.
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  Park your car so that you don’t need any additional maneuvers to get out of the space or driveway – i.e. back into a driveway or spot in a parking lot – so that you can leave quickly.
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  Change locks where possible and set up security cameras.
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  Keep a record of everything, including dates and details of any incident. Take photos of any injury or property damage; save videos and text message. Give copies to a trusted person.
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  Make copies of all important documents including bank records and leave with a trusted person.