Creating a Safety Plan
Quick Tips for Safety Planning
If there is violence in your relationship, try to:
- identify safe places you could go in case of an emergency (such as the home of a trusted friend or relative)
- find all possible ways to get out of your house or apartment
- have a plan for taking your children with you if you leave
- getting your own bank account or keeping some money outside of the house
- create a code word to use with people you trust if you are in danger and cannot talk freely
Pack a bag to leave in a safe place (a friend's house or at work) with the following items in case you need to leave quickly:
- a phone card or coins
- clothes and shoes for you and your children (toys for your children)
- any medication or a copy of prescriptions
- an extra set of important keys
- emergency contact and shelter numbers (see the emergency help section of this site)
Keep copies or orginals of the following documents in your bag:
- birth certificates
- social insurance numbers
- driver's license and registration
- care cards
- passports
- immigration documents
- any court documents (separation agreements, custody and access orders, peace bonds or restraining orders)
- Mortgage papers, lease or rental agreement
- bank book
- school and vaccination records
Comprehensive safety planning tool
If you are looking for more information about safety planning or want to develop a detailed safety plan for yourself and your children this safety planning tool may be useful for you.