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Make a Safety Plan

woman with folded arms

Domestic abuse advisers suggest that if you are at risk you should draw up a safety plan. This should increase your safety in the event of future abuse or if you decide to leave the relationship.  

What to do:

  • Keep a note of emergency contacts and useful telephone numbers. These can be friends and family or agencies like Women's Aid or Social Work.
  • Have access to passports and birth certificates for you and your children.
  • Pack a bag of clothes for you and children and store it somewhere safe.
  • Have a safe place to go where the abuser can't find you and know how to get there. Consider travel arrangements, timetables and directions.
  • Get extra keys cut for your house and car.
  • Keep a small amount of money on you at all times for transport or a payphone.


See the Women's Aid Survivors Handbook for help with creating a safety plan and for more information on getting help for you and your children, refuges and legal advice.