Plan for Safety

What is a Safety Plan?

A safety plan is a personalized, practical plan to improve your safety while experiencing abuse, preparing to leave an abusive situation, or after you leave. A safety plan includes vital information tailored to your unique situation and will help you prepare for and respond to different scenarios, including telling your friends and family about your situation, coping with emotions, and various resources suited to your individual circumstances.

Some of the preparations for a safety plan might seem obvious, but it can be hard to think clearly or make logical decisions during moments of crisis. Having a safety plan laid out in advance can help you protect yourself and others in high-stress situations. Our safety planning resources outline important information to keep in mind while creating a safety plan. It may be useful for survivors, friends, family members, or others.

Safety Plan for Abuse Survivors:
For abuse survivors, ensuring their immediate and continuous safety is a top concern. This is because on average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States alone. Creating a safety plan as mentioned earlier is an accessible way to manage risk factors, identify security resources and collaborate with advocate or law enforcement to increase your overall well-being.

Create a Safety Plan Checklist:
Create a safety plan checklist to ensure that essential steps to find safety in dangerous situations are being followed. Checklists help avoid distractions by compelling you to create the tasks that are only on the checklist, and they save time because the steps are written in order and are easy to follow.

You may want to Consider these questions when developing your own safety plan:
 Are you able to confide in a trusted source — a friend, family member, or neighbor?
 Is it possible to avoid areas or locations that make you feel unsafe?
 Where in your neighborhood could you go during an emergency?
 Is there a list of phone numbers you need to memorize in the event of a crisis?
 Do you have children to include in your safety plan?
 Do your children know where to go in case they witness abuse?
 Do you need to have a safety plan in place for work or school?
 Is your safety plan stored on a computer or smartphone?

Anyone concern about their safety or the safety of someone else’s, please reach out to the law enforcement agency in your area or to us and we will be glad to assist or direct you to the appropriate authority.