NEED FOR A SAFETY PLAN

Know that women who have survived abuse have prepared the advice in this section.

Know, too, that many women before you have escaped and survived abuse, and a safety plan will increase your chances of doing the same.

Although you can’t control your abuser’s behaviour, you can take steps to protect yourself. If you have children, you can take steps to protect them, too.

Creating a safety plan involves identifying action steps that will increase your safety and that of your children, so you are prepared in advance for the likelihood of further abuse.

Here are two important things to remember:

If you’ve identified even the possibility of abuse, you need a safety plan.

Once you’ve created a safety plan, you’ll need to review and/or revise it on a regular basis. Abusive situations and risk factors can change quickly. If they do, you’ll need to change your safety plan quickly, too.