If you are in an abusive situation and are not able or ready to leave, it’s important to think about how to keep yourself safe. A safety plan can help lower risk and optimize safety during and after the relationship has ended. Your plan should include places you could go if you left your home and people who might help you when you leave. It is your decision to let others know that you are in an abusive relationship or still at risk.
Pack a bag that will allow you to leave quickly and include items such as:
- Money
- Pay as you go cell phone or be sure to turn off location and GPS tracking on smartphones
- Keys to car, home or work
- Change of clothes for you and your children
- Address book with numbers of friends, relatives, doctors, lawyers
- Driver’s license and car registration
- Emergency medicine
- Special and/or comfort items for your children
- Copies of important papers, such as birth certificates, Social Security cards, credit cards, personal protective order, divorce papers and custody orders
