Abuse and Violence
Living in an Abusive Relationship: Strategies for Staying Safer
This safety planning tool has been designed to encourage women living in an abusive relationship to create personal strategies to increase their safety. There are three steps to completing the plan. It does not replace the need for other plans, such as those included in this safety planning section: Emergency Leaving, After Leaving, On the Internet and Safety Plan for my Children.
Click here to open the complete tool.
Or, you can click and open each of the three “Steps” separately.
Step 1. Deciding to Tell About the Abuse in My Life
(This section will help you to start thinking about people you trust to tell about the abuse in your relationship.)
Step 2. Identifying Situations that Put me at Risk
(This section presents a checklist of risk factors for you to review. Think about the kinds of situations that make you fearful or impact on your sense of safety. Who are the people and agencies that could help you with specific concerns?)
Step 3 My Safety Plan
(This section will help you to build your own personal safety plan – even if you have decided to stay. It will remind you of the strategies (both existing and new) that you identified for reducing the risk of harm to yourself, your children, your family, your pets and your property. Keep your plan someplace safe and revisit it when possible.)
Strategies for Safer Leaving - My Contacts Card (Click here to open or download the Contact Card)
Disclaimer: Please note that our website contains general information about the law. This is not a complete statement of the law on particular topics. We try to update our publications often, but laws change frequently so it is important for you to check to make sure the information is up to date. The information in our publications is not a substitute for legal advice. To receive legal advice about your specific situation, you need to speak to a lawyer.
