Free to Use and Give
The Short Safety Plan is a fill-in form for the decisions that are hardest to make in the middle of a crisis: where you would go, who you would call, what you would take, and how you would get out of the house. It is the first part of the Domestic Violence Safety Plan Workbook: Stay Safer Whether You Stay or Leave, and it is free.
It works whether you stay or leave, and you do not need to have decided anything to fill it in. It is built to be completed in one sitting.
Free. No account or email address needed.
What Is in the Plan
The plan has three parts. It is written in the first person, so each question is one you answer for yourself.
- Important Things to Notice. Eleven questions you answer once: what your partner says or does before violence (including verbal violence), where you and your children can go, the safest room in your home with a way out, where to keep an emergency phone, extra keys, and an emergency bag, where to park for a quick exit, and where you can be safe for a few hours and for 24 hours or longer.
- Phone Number List. One page for 911, your local police or sheriff, an attorney, your children’s school, your doctor or counselor, people who can help, military contacts, local domestic violence services, and national hotlines. It also has a place for the numbers you will need if your partner takes your phone or it is unsafe to use.
- Promise to Myself. A short statement you can sign. In it, you commit to taking care of your mental and emotional health, to taking responsibility for your own behavior, and to stopping blaming yourself for your partner’s abusive behavior.
Who It Helps
The plan is for you if:
- You live with someone whose anger, threats, or control frighten you.
- You are thinking about leaving and are not ready, or not sure.
- You have left and want your numbers and safe places in one place.
How to Use It
Answer in your own words. A blank answer is fine. Some questions, such as where you could stay for 24 hours or longer, may take time or help to answer. Fill in what you can and come back to the rest.
Add the local numbers the plan leaves blank: your police department or sheriff’s office, a domestic violence program, and an attorney if you have one. Check each number before you rely on it.
What It Cannot Do
No plan guarantees safety. This one puts your decisions on paper ahead of time, so you do not have to make them during a crisis. It cannot predict what your partner will do, and it does not replace an advocate, an attorney, or emergency services. An advocate can help you adjust the plan to your home, your children, your work, and the laws where you live.
Keeping It Private
A filled-in plan can be used against you if your partner finds it. It may show where you keep your keys, your phone, and your bag, and where you plan to go. No way of storing it is completely secure. Before you write anything down:
- Keep the copy you fill in somewhere your partner cannot reach, such as at work, with a friend you trust, or with an advocate. A completed copy at home is the easiest to find.
- If you write answers down, use a shorthand only you understand, or leave out the hiding places and write only the numbers. You can also memorize the numbers you need most and leave the page blank.
- Printed pages, shared printers, shared folders, cloud accounts that sync to other devices, email, and your Downloads folder can all be found. Your partner may also see file previews and notifications on your phone.
- The Promise to Myself page says in plain words that your partner abuses you. If your partner might find the plan, keep that page apart from the others, or read it without signing it.
If You Are in Danger
Call 911 if you are in immediate danger. Outside the United States, call your local emergency number.
Treat these as urgent: a partner who has put their hands or an object around your neck, has threatened to kill you, or has threatened you with a gun or another weapon. A plan cannot sort those out for you. An advocate can.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline (United States) is free and open 24 hours a day. Call 1-800-799-7233 (800-799-SAFE), text START to 88788 (message and data rates may apply), or chat at thehotline.org. Deaf and hard of hearing: The Deaf Hotline, video phone 855-812-1001. Outside the United States, contact a domestic violence service in your country.
Calls and texts can show up on a phone bill or on a shared device. If that is a risk where you are, a library computer or a friend’s phone is safer.
Share It
Anyone anywhere can share the Short Safety Plan without asking permission. Advocates, counselors, clinics, and friends can print it or pass it along. If you are sending it to someone who lives with an abuser, ask first how they can receive it safely.
The Rest of the Workbook
The Short Safety Plan is Part 1 of the Domestic Violence Safety Plan Workbook: Stay Safer Whether You Stay or Leave. The rest of the workbook covers Safety While Living with an Abuser, The Safest Ways to Leave, Safety After Leaving, and an Appendix on identifying abuse, personal boundaries, and sources. A discreet version is available.
For a free overview of planning around abuse, see Safety Planning for Domestic Abuse and Violence.
Where the Plan Comes From
The Short Safety Plan is selected from the Domestic Violence Safety Plan Workbook by Kellie Jo Holly Close, who has run VerbalAbuseJournals.com since 2008. © 2026, VerbalAbuseJournals.com, Kellie Jo Holly Close.