Safety Planning Guide

A GUIDE TO

SAFETY PLANNING

WHY DO I NEED A SAFETY PLAN?

Everyone deserves relationships that are healthy, safe and supportive. If you are

in a relationship that is hurting you, it is important for you to know that the abuse

is not your fa ult. It is also important for yo u to start thinking o f w ays to keep

yourself safe from the abuse, whether you decide to end the relationship or not.

While you can’t control the other person’s abusive behavior, you can take

action to keep yourself as safe as possi ble.

WHAT IS A S AFETY PLAN?

A safety pl an is a practical guide that helps l ower your risk of being hurt by your

abuser. It includes information specific to yo u and your life tha t will help keep

you safe. A good safety plan helps you think through lifestyle changes that wi ll

hel p keep you as safe as possible on campus, at work, at home and other

place s that you go on a daily basis.

HOW DO I M AKE A SAFETY PLAN?

Take some time for yourself to go through each section of this safety pl an. You

can complete this on your own, or you can work through it with someone else

that yo u trust.

KEEP IN MIND:

• In order for this safety pl an to work for you, you’ll need to fill in personalized

answers, so you can use the information when you most need it.

• Once you complete your safety plan, be sure to keep it in an accessible but

secure location. You might also consider giving a copy of your safety plan to

so meone t hat you t rust .

• Getting support from someone who has experience working those in abusive

relationships can be very useful.

VIP Center sta ff are also available to work th rough thi s safety plan with

you, answer quest ions and help find addi tional resources you may need.

Adapted from NCDSV.org, U K Vi ol ence Interventi on and Prevention Center, Rev. 9.19.11

Answering the following questions will help create your own safety plan:

1. What situation s are yo u most afraid of ?

2. What kinds of things have you thought of that may help you with these things

you fear the most?

3. What kinds of things have you tried to prote ct yourself in the past? Which of

these things have worked and which would you use again?

4. What types of arrangements can you make to improve your safety at work or

school? (change your routes, screen your calls, change arrival and departure

times, safety while traveling, etc.)

5. What kinds of these can you do to improve your safety in your home?

(change l ocks, buy safety devices, inform neighbors and l andlord to call the

police if they hear a disturbance, purchase a cell phone, etc.)

6. Does the abuser have access to your phone, address , email or other ways to

contact you? Can/should these be changed?

7. Are there other people or pets whose safety you are also concerned about

as a result of this situation? (roommate, dating partner, coworker, etc.)

8. What kinds of legal resources in your community are available to you?

Staying Safe on Campus or a t Work

Th e safest wa y for me to get to class/w ork i s:

_______________________________________________________

These are c ampus/work places where I often r un into my

abuse r: _______________________________________________.

I will try and avoid those places as much as possible or

try to go when s/he won’t be there.

There may be plac e s wher e it is imposs ible to av oid my

abuser. If I need to go to one of th os e places I can make

sure a friend c an go with me. I will ask__________________

or _____________________________________

I c an as k ______________________ to help scr een my c all s.

If I feel threatened or unsafe, I c an go to these public

areas where I feel safe (VI P, cafeteria, the Stu d ent

Center, etc. ):

_______________________________________________________

and/or________________________________________________.

If a problem arises on my way home from work I ca n:

_______________________________________________________

I could talk to the

followin g pe o ple if I

need to rearrange my

schedule in or der to

avo i d my abu ser; or if I

need help stay ing safe

on campus or at wor k :

Supervisors:____________

_______________________

Campus police

Work place Secur ity

VIP

Counselor

Other:_________________

_______________________

Staying Safe in My Home

I can tell these people (roommates, neighbors, friends) about what is going on :

__________________________________ and ________________________________________.

There will be times when I am home alone. If I feel unsafe during those times, I can

hav e peo ple stay with me. I will ask:____________________________________________,

________________________________ or ____________________________________________.

The safest way for me to leave my ho me in an emergency is : ____________________

_______________________________________________________________________________.

If I have to leave home in an emergency, I shoul d try to go to a place that is

public, safe and unknown by my abuser. I could go here:

___________________________________ or __________________________________________

I will use a c ode wor d so I can alert my family, friends, roommates and/or

neighbors to call for help without my abuser knowing about it. My

code w ord is: _________________________________________________________________.

I w ill keep a spare set of keys here : _____________________________________________.

Staying Safe Em otionally:

My abuser o fte n makes me feel bad by sayi ng

this:_________________________________________________

____________________________________________________.

Whe n he/s he does this, I will think of the se re asons why

I kn ow my abuse r is wr on g:

____________________________________________________,

____________________________________________________

and________________________________________________.

I will do thin g s I e njoy, lik e:

____________________________,________________________

___________________ and ____________________________.

I will j oin clubs or o rgan iza ti ons tha t intere st me ,

l ike: ______________________________________________ or

____________________________________________________.

If I f eel dow n an d rea dy to re turn to a p o ten ti ally

abusi ve situ ati o n , I can

__________________________________

____________________________________________________.

I can read ____________ ___________ ___________________

to help me feel s trong e r and more supported.

If I feel confused,

depre ssed or scared,

I ca n call the following

friend s o r family

members:

Name: ________________

Phone #: ______________

Name: ________________

Phone #: ______________

Name: ________________

Phone #: ______________

Name: ________________

Phone #: ______________

Getting Help in the Community:

For emerg enci es cal l 911 and give your loca tion

Campus police st at ion: 2 57-SAFE

Location: Corner of Rose St. and Euclid Ave.

Violence Intervention and Prevention Ctr.

Location: Lower level, Frazee Hall

Phone: 257-3574

Othe r: _____________________________________

Phone #: ___________________________________

Locatio n: ___________________________________

Othe r: ______________________________________

Phone #: ___________________________________

Locatio n: _______________________________ ____

For immediate sup p ort, I ca n

call the following friends or

family membe rs at any time

of day or night:

Name: _____________________

Phone: _____________________

Name: _____________________

Phone: _____________________

Hotlines that can help:

____________________________

We bsites with helpful and

suppo rtive i n fo rmation:

____________________________

These are things I c an do to help keep myself safe everyday:

• carry my c ell phone and important telephone number s with me at all times.

• keep in touch with someone I trust about where I am or wh at I am doing .

• sta y o ut of isolated places .

• alert wo rk or campus security ab out w ha t is ha p p ening so tha t my abus er is not allo w ed

in my bui lding.

• avoi d places w h ere my abuser o r his/h er friends and family ar e lik ely to be .

• keep the d oors and win dows loc ked where I live , es pe c i ally if I am alone.

• will avoid speaking to my abus er. If it is unavoid able, I will make sure there are people

around in c ase the situation becomes dangerous.

• call 911 if I feel m y safety i s at r i sk .

• rememb er tha t the abuse is not my fault and that I des erv e a safe and healthy life.

These are things I c an do to help keep myself safe in my social life:

• ask my friend s to kee p the ir c ell phones with them while they are with me in case we g et

s e p arate d an d I need help.

• I f possible, go to d ifferent mall s, bars, banks, parties, grocery stores, movie theaters,

r estaur a nts, e tc. tha n the ones my a bus er g o es to or k no ws a b out.

• no matte r w h ere I go , I will be aware o f h o w to leave safely in case o f an emer g en cy.

• leave if I feel u ncomfortabl e in a si tuation, no matter what my fr ie n ds ar e doing .

• If I plan on drin ki ng , I will be sur e to have a sobe r fr ie n d to hel p in a volatile s ituation.

• spend time with people who make me feel safe, supported and good about myself.

These are things I c an do to stay safe online and with my cell phone:

• keep my cell phone charged and program in important number s .

• I will not say or d o anything online that I would n’t in pe rs on.

• set all m y onl ine profiles to be as private as they can b e.

• save any abusive, threatening or harassing com ments, posts, or texts.

• never give my pas sword to anyone.

• I f the abuse and harassment does not stop, change my usernames, email add resses,

and/or cell phone number.

• I will no t answe r calls from unknown, bloc ked or priv ate number s .

• see if my phone c ompany c an bloc k my abus er ’s phone number from calling my phone.

• I will no t com mu nicate wi th my abu s er us ing any type of technology, ev en responding to

m essages, texts or emails can lea d to more pr ob lems.

Specific safety concern I have:

_____________________________________________________________________________

Possible way to handle it:

_____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Possible resource to help: ___________________________________________________

Specific safety concern I have:

_____________________________________________________________________________

Possible way to handle it:

_____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Possible resource to help: ___________________________________________________

Specific safety concern I have:

_____________________________________________________________________________

Possible way to handle it:

_____________________________________________________________________________

Possible resource to help: ___________________________________________________

Fillable Printable Safety Planning Guide

Fillable Printable Safety Planning Guide