SAFETY PLANNING
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for a Safety Plan that you can print and personalize
Safety planning is the process of evaluating the risks
and benefits of different options and identifying ways to
reduce the risks.
If you are a battered individual, you probably know
more about safety planning and risk assessment than you
might even realize. Being in a relationship with an abusive
partner, and surviving, requires considerable skill and
resourcefulness. Any time you do or say something as a way
to protect yourself and/or your children, you are assessing
risk and enacting a safety plan. You do it all the time.
It's just not always a conscious process.
Safety plans can be made for a variety of different
situations: for dealing with an emergency; for continuing
to live with or to date a partner who has been abusive;
or for protecting yourself after you have ended a relationship
with an abusive partner.
If you are planning to leave your partner or have already
left, be aware that batterers often are more violent during
times of separation, increasing your risk for harm, including
serious and life-threatening injury. Making a separation
safety plan can help reduce the risks to you and your children.
Only you can judge whom it's safe to tell about your
situation and whom to ask for help. The important thing
is for you to identify all the possible people who might
be willing and able to help you. Make a list with their
phone numbers and attach it to your safety plan for easy
reference.
You don't need to wait for an emergency to ask for help.
In fact, it's a good idea to talk to people who can help
before there is a crisis and find out what they're willing
and able to do for you. That way, you'll know in advance
if you have a place to stay, where to go for financial assistance,
or a safe person who can keep copies of important papers
for you.
It can sometimes be hard to ask for help, but you do
not deserve to be abused. There is help available. You may
need help, and most people really do want to help. The more
specific you can be with them about what you need, the more
likely it is that you'll get the help you're looking for.
A safety plan is a tool to assist you in identifying
options, evaluating those options and committing to a plan
to reduce your risk when confronted with the threat of harm
or with actual harm. There's no right or wrong way to develop
a safety plan. Use what applies to you; change it or add
to it to reflect your particular situation. Make it your
own, then review it regularly and make changes as needed.
You don't have to figure it all out on your own. You
can ask us for help ... Call 1-888-252-9360 or 1-585-658-3940.
Click here
for a Safety Plan that you can print and personalize
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