Domestic Violence: Safety

 

 

Safety Planning
Safety planning is a process where victims of domestic violence explore and evaluate strategies to safeguard themselves and their children in different situations that may bring about safety concerns. The philosophy is to have decisions made in advance so that in case an emergency arises, there are concrete plans in place to achieve, eliminate, or manage a safety threat.

Safety planning can also be done with children. Studies show that safety plans that address the needs of adult victims and their children together are more effective and more likely to be maintained by the family after service providers are no longer involved.

As with any strategy, safety plans do not guarantee safety. They are a mechanism to increase that possibility. A safety plan must be realistic, simple, and age-appropriate when applied to children. A thorough safety plan can take several hours to develop. It does not necessarily have to be written down.