Domestic Violence: Safety

 

 

Safety Planning
Safety planning is a process where victims of domestic violence explore and evaluate ways to safeguard themselves and their children from the dangers of domestic violence. The idea is to have decisions made in advance so that in case an emergency arises, there are concrete - rehearsed - plans in place to 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 plan, safety plans do not guarantee safety. Plans are a mechanism to keeping the victim and children safe. 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. You will find all the information you need to put a plan together in the the links on the previous page.

Also important information is available from:

The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

or TTY 1-800-787-3224 http://www.thehotline.org

International Directory of Domestic Violence Agencies (in 90 languages)
http://www.hotpeachpages.net

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