Specific Safety Planning
If your abuser is prone to physical abuse, or if you feel your emotional abuser may escalate to physical violence, it is important to have an escape plan. It is important that you assemble what you may need without your abuser’s knowledge. There is potential for immediate violence if your abuser detects any indication that you may be trying to leave.
Pack a survival kit.
In case you have to leave your house quickly, keep your car keys or money for bus fare with you. Pack a bag with
• Extra house and car keys
• Cash, checkbook, credit cards, valuable jewelry, and papers that show jointly owned assets
• Important paperwork, such as birth certificates, passports, insurance cards, marriage license, separation agreements and protection orders
• Medications and copies of prescriptions
• Address and appointment books
• A limited number of small keepsakes (photos, etc.)
• One or two comfort items for each child
• A limited amount of clothing for you and each child.
Gather these items discretely and conceal this bag in the home or leave it with a trusted neighbor, friend, or relative. Important papers can also be left in a bank deposit box. If your abuser checks your car, don’t leave any items there.
If possible, plan your leaving very carefully. Give yourself a window of at least 30 minutes. Let a trustworthy person know where you are going. If you find yourself with nowhere to go, call the police or our 24-hour crisis line at 303-772-4422. It may feel awful to leave your belongings, but most items can be replaced, unlike your life and the lives of your children.
Creating a Personalized Safety Plan
The following steps represent my plan for increasing my safety and preparing in advance for the possibility of further violence. Although I do not have control over my partner’s violence, I do have a choice about how to respond to him/her and how to best get myself and my children to safety.
Safety During a Violent Incident
I will use some or all of the following strategies:
1. I will get out of the house safely and quickly by ___________________________
2. I will place my keys and purse for easy access ____________________________
3. I will tell __________________ about the abuse and ask them to call the police if they hear suspicious noises coming from my house.
4. I will choose a safe place where I can go if I leave my home _________________
5. Which room is the safest in my home for me and/or my children to go to in case of an argument? _________________________________________________
6. I will teach my children how to contact the police or fire department
7. The code I will use to alert my children or friends to call for help is ____________
When Preparing to Leave
1. I will keep copies of important documents___________________________________
2. I will open up a savings account by __________________________________________
3. I will stay with ______________________________________where I know I will be safe
4. I will leave extra clothes for myself (and my children) ____________________________
5. I will keep change on myself at all times for phone calls
6. I will keep a 9-1-1 phone with me wherever I go.
7. I will review my safety plan regularly, and rehearse it with my children.
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