Domestic Violence Safety Plan

If you are in an abusive relationship, or indeed you fear that you potentially could be, then it is important that you have a safety plan for both you and your children. A safety plan is designed to help you remove yourselves from, or help you and your children avoid an abusive situation. The tips and suggestions below are designed to cover most situations. You should pick the ones that are most appropriate to you.

If you are being subjected to domestic violence:

• Try to avoid rooms of the house where weapons can be easily found such as the kitchen or the garage
• Try to avoid rooms where you can be trapped in
• If possible, get to a room with an exit – a door or a window
• Try to get to a room with a phone in it, or if you have a mobile phone with you dial 999 (or 112) as soon as you are able. Try to remain as calm as possible and give the phone operator as much detail as possible

If you have previously been subject to domestic abuse or feel that you could be in the future:

• Memorise important phone numbers – These could include friends, family or any contact you have at the police station
• Try to keep a mobile phone in a room you can lock from the inside (ideally a charged pay-as-you-go mobile phone)
• Plan an escape route in case of emergency. If appropriate, teach your children this route and where they should go when they are out of the house
• Pack a bag that you can grab as you leave the house and hide it well. Or pack a bag and leave it with a friend. As well as clothes for you and your children, you should also include money, any medication you need and forms of identification
• Use an answering machine to screen your phone calls
• Do not answer ‘Caller ID Blocked’ calls on your mobile phone
• If you are able, take a self – defence course

Don’t underestimate the importance of having a domestic violence safety plan. Making a safety plan means accepting that you are, or could be, a victim of domestic violence. Whilst this may be very hard to do, it could save your life or the lives of your children.