Safety
Planning |
If
you are in a violent relationship,
please consider taking the following action to keep
yourself safe:
|
| Safety
While Living in a Violent Home and/or Preparing To Leave: |
- Tell
a TRUSTED friend about the violence and have them
call the police when violence erupts.
- Establish
a code word for your children, trusted friends and
family to call for help when you use your code word.
- When
an argument erupts, move to a safer room – kitchens
are not a safe!
- Open
a savings account in your own name.
- Leave
money, extra keys, copies of important papers and
extra clothes with someone you trust, so you can leave
quickly. Do not leave these items in your car.
- Determine
who would let you stay with them or lend you money.
Keep in mind the availability of domestic violence
shelters.
- Plan
a safe place to leave pets.
- Keep
the Domestic Abuse Council, Inc. phone number (386-255-2102
or 386-738-4080) close at all times (if this is safe
to do) and keep some change or a calling card on you
at all times for emergency phone calls. Crisis hotline
numbers are in the front cover of Volusia County phone
books.The statewide hotline number is: 1-800-500-1119.
- Review
your safety plan as often as possible in order to
plan the safest way to leave.
- Obtain
an Injunction for Protection (Domestic Abuse Council,
Inc. has court advocates who can assist you through
this process).
|
| Things
To Have Ready In Case You Need To Flee: |
| Birth
certificates |
Social
Security cards |
| Marriage
license |
Insurance
information and forms |
| Driver's
license or state I. D. |
Medications
and prescriptions |
| Lease/rental
agreements, house deed, mortgage papers |
Car
title and/or registration |
| Bank
account number, credit and ATM cards, savings passbook
|
School
and health records |
| Medical
records for you (and children) |
Clothing
for you (and children) |
| Keys,
such as house, car, safety deposit box, storage units
|
Comfort
items for you (and toys for children) |
| Hearing
aids, glasses, dentures, any needed medical equipment
|
Jewelry |
| Welfare
and/or immigration documents |
Phone
numbers and addresses for family and friends |
Divorce papers or other court documents, such as custody
papers or Injunction for Protection (IFP)
|
| Safety
When Living Alone In Your Home: |
- Change
the locks on doors and windows
- Install
security mechanisms, such as window locks, better
lighting, window locks, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers.
- In
rural areas where only the mailbox may be visible
from the street, cover the box with brightly colored
paper or paint so that police can more easily locate
the home.
- Obtain
an Injunction for Protection; keep it with you at
all times. Even if you have left the state where the
Injunction was originally granted, the unexpired injunction
is valid in any state in the country.
- Call
the police if your abuser violates the Injunction
for Protection order.
- Inform
neighbors and your landlord that the abuser no longer
lives with you and that they should call the police
if they see him near your home.
|
| Safety
On The Job And In Public: |
- Decide
who at work you will tell. This should include security
persons. Provide a photo of your abuser to be used
for identification. If you have an Injunction for
Protection, you may want to make sure that your employer
and/or security at your job has a copy.
- Arrange
to have someone screen your phone calls if possible.
- When
you leave work, have someone escort you to your car.
Use different routes to go home from work. Also vary
the times, and use different routes to go places you
visit on a regular basis, such as church, the grocery
store, school, etc.
|
| Safety
When Children Are Involved: |
- If
you have children, rehearse an escape route and a
safe place for the children to go if there is an emergency
(if violence is occurring in the home, if there's
a fire, etc.).
- Teach
the children how to call the police or a family member
if they are snatched.
- Talk
to schools and childcare providers about who has permission
to pick up the children, and develop other special
provisions to protect the child. If you have an Injunction
for Protection that includes the children, make sure
that your child's school or day care provider has
a copy.
- Find
a lawyer knowledgeable about family violence to explore
custody, visitation, and divorce provisions that protect
the children and yourself.
|
| Your
Safety And Emotional Health: |
- Have
positive thoughts about yourself and be assertive
with others about your needs.
- Decide
who you can call to talk openly to give you the support
you need.
- Remember Domestic Abuse Council, Inc. has a 24-hour hotline that you can call for support, as well (386-255-2102). Statewide hotline 1-800-500-1119.
- Plan
to attend a victim support group for at least 2 weeks
to gain support from others and learn more about yourself.
- Remember,
no one deserves to be abused!
|
