Short Safety Plan for Domestic Abuse & Violence
Important Decisions to Make for the Next Time You Have to Go, Whether for Now or Forever
**Need this one to look like something else? Get the discreet version instead →
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.
The Short Safety Plan works whether you plan to return or to stay gone, and you do not need to have decided anything to fill it in. 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. Questions you answer once, so the decisions about where you would go, what you would take, and how you would get out are made before a crisis.
- Phone Number List. One place to collect every number you might need, including the ones to use if your partner takes your phone or it is unsafe to use.
- Documents. A checklist of the papers and items worth having copies of, with ideas for where to keep the copies outside your home.
- Promise to Myself. A short statement you can sign: a promise to look after your mental and emotional health and to stop 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 controlling behaviors frighten you.
- You are thinking about leaving and are not ready, or not sure.
- You know you should think about these crisis points but don’t know where to start.
How to Use the Short Safety Plan
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, an attorney if you have one and many other suggestions.
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.
- Keep the copy you fill in somewhere your partner cannot reach, such as at work, with a friend you trust, or with an advocate.
- 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 names on your devices.
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 (for now or forever), 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 started VerbalAbuseJournals.com as a blog in 2008.