Personalized Safety Plan
This information was generalized from a plan found at Metro Nashville Police Department. Below is a seven step safety plan. Please take the time to print this and fill it out with a friend, family member or a woman in need. Even if you feel you will never need this information...
Step 1. Safety during violence.
I can use the following options:
a. If I decide to leave, I will________________________________________________
See Your Safety Plan.
b. I can keep a bag ready and put it______________________ so I can leave quickly.
c. I can tell________________________________about the violence and have them call the police when violence erupts.
d. I can teach my children to use the telephone to call the police and the fire department.
e. I will use this word code________________________________for my children, friends, or family to call for help.
f. If I have to leave my home, I will go_________________________________________.(Be prepared even if you think you will never have to leave.)
g. I can teach these strategies to my children.
h. When an argument erupts, I will move to a safer room such as___________________________________________________________. See Your Safety Plan.
i. I will use my instincts, intuition, and judgement. I will protect myself and my children until we are out of danger.
Step 2. Safety when getting ready to leave.
I can use the following strategies:
a. I will leave money and an extra set of keys with___________________________________________.
b. I will keep important documents and keys at_______________________________________________________.
c. I will open a savings account by this date___________________________________ to increase my independence.
d. Other things I can do to increase my independence are:_______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
e. The domestic violence hotline is _____________________.
f. The shelter's hotline is _________________________.
g. I will keep change for phone calls with me at ALL times. I know that if I use a telephone credit card, that the following month the telephone bill will tell the batterer who I called after I left. I will keep this information confidential by using a prepaid phone card, using a friend's telephone card, calling collect, or using change.
h. I will check with_________________________ and ______________________ to know who will let me stay with them or who will lend me money.
i. I can leave extra clothes with___________________________.
j. I will review my safety plan every ___________________(time frame) in order to plan the safest route. I will review the plan with ______________________________ (a friend, counselor or advocate.)
k. I will rehearse the escape plan and practice it with my children.
Step 3. Safety At Home
I can use the following safety methods:
a. I can change the locks on my doors and windows as soon as possible.
b. I can replace wooden doors with steel doors.
c. I can install security systems- i.e. additional locks, window bars, poles to wedge against doors, electronic sensors, etc.
d. I can purchase rope ladders to be used for escape routes from the second floor.
e. I can install smoke detectors and buy fire extinguishers for each floor of my home.
f. I can install an outside lighting system that lights up when someone approaches my home.
g. I will teach my children how to use the phone to make collect calls to me and to ___________________________ (friend, family, minister) if my partner tried to take them.
h. I will tell the people who care for my children, who has permission to pick up my children. My partner is NOT allowed to. Inform the following people:
School_____________________________________
Day Care___________________________________
Babysitter_________________________________
Sunday School______________________________
Teacher____________________________________
And________________________________________
Others_____________________________________
i.I can tell my the following people that my partner no longer lives with me and that they should call the police if he is near my residence:
Neighbors___________________________________
Church Leaders______________________________
Friends_____________________________________
Others______________________________________
Step 4. Order of Protection
The following steps will help enforce the order of protection:
a. I will keep the protection order______________________(the location). Always keep it with you.
b. I will give my protection order to police departments in the areas that I visit my friends, family, where I live, and where I work.
c. If I visit other counties, I will register my protection order with those counties.
d. I can call the local domestic violence agency if I am not sure how to register my protection order with the police departments.
e. I will tell my employer, my church leader, my friends, my family and others that I have a protection order.
f. If my protection order gets destroyed, I know I can go to the County Courthouse and get another copy.
g. If my partner violates the protection order, I will call the police and report it. I will call my lawyer, my advocate, counselor, and/ or tell the courts about the violation.
h. If the police do not help, I will call my advocate or my attorney AND I will file a complaint with the Chief of the Police Department.
i. I can file a private criminal complaint with the district judge in the jurisdiction that the violation took place or with the District Attorney. A domestic violence advocate will help me do this.
Step 5. Job and Public Safety
I can do the following:
a.I can tell my boss, security, and _______________ at work about this situation.
b.I can ask___________________________________ to help screen my phone calls.
c.When leaving work I can do the following: ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
d. When I am driving home from work and problems arise, I can_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
e. If I use public transportation, I can_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
f. I will shop at different grocery stores and shopping malls at different hours than I did when I was with my partner.
g.I will use a different bank and bank at different hours than I did when I was with my partner.
h.I can also do the following:_______________________________________________________________
Step 6. Drug and Alcohol Use.
I can enhance my safety if I do the following:
a. If I am going to use, I am going to do it in a safe place with people who understand the risk of violence and who are committed to my safety.
b. I can also_____________________________________________________________
c. If my partner is using, I can____________________________________________________________________
d. I can also___________________________________________________________________
e. To protect my children, I can____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Step 7. Emotional Health
I can do the following:
a. If I feel depressed and ready to return to a potentially violent situation/ partner, I can______________________________________________________________________
I can call
_________________________________________________________________________
b. When I have to talk to my partner in person or on the phone, I can______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
c. I will use "I can..." statements and I will be assertive with people.
d. I can tell myself "__________________________________________________________________________" when I feel people are trying to control or abuse me.
e. I can call the following people and/ or places for support:___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
f. Things I can do to make me feel stronger are:_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Note: If this doesn't print correctly, Cut and Paste this into Word. (It works!)
Shelter Information
General Safety Plan | Leaving- What to Take With You
Women's Shelter Program
Home | Back to Women's Resources | Back to the Clover Patch
Note: If you run a women's shelter (work for, volunteer for) and would like your phone number and/or website posted here, please email me at Clover_Patch@mailcity.com. Also please send the country and area you serve.
Clover_Patch@mailcity.com