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A safety plan is your exit strategy. Prepare a plan in advance, either as a mental note or in writing, even if you are not sure you want to leave. Sharing this plan with children is essential in case you need to leave on short notice.
Safety Planning
- Store an emergency bag in a secure spot by your car or with a friend/family member. The bag should include:
- copies of essential documents, find a checklist of these documents in Prepare 1C
- identification for you and any children, such as driver’s licence or passports
- a purse with cash, any debit and credit cards
- prescriptions or medication for you and any children
- a change of clothes and personal hygiene items for you and any children
- a spare key to the house and car
- a phone charger
- save emergency phone numbers on your mobile device
- a code word that tells a friend, family, or neighbour that you feel unsafe and need assistance
- an exit pathway for leaving the house, which door is the best to use, and do you need any keys to unlock doors?
- access to car keys, and have fuel in the car
- ask neighbours to call the police (000) if they hear arguments, yelling or loud noises
Guide children to create their own safety plan, include what they can do to be safe and how to get out of the house if they need to
Points to discuss:
- a code word to let them know they need to leave now
- who to call for help, and how to reach them
- how to call triple zero (000) for the police or ambulance. Tell children not to hang up as it helps the services to monitor what’s happening and where to find you.
- how to report violence
If you have any concerns about children in the perpetrator’s care, report those concerns to The Department for Child Protection or seek legal advice. For more information on legal services, see Rebuild 3F.
You may also consider making plans for pets. You may wish to take them with you, but unfortunately, most refuges will not allow pets.
If you can, arrange to drop pets off with a trusted friend for a short period until you can take them back.
Another option is the RSPCA pet fostering arrangement. Arranging this in advance will allow you to leave without hesitation in an emergency.
Find additional information on safety planning at 1800 Respect.
Once you or your partner have moved out of the family home, you can apply for a Family Violence Restraining Order to help keep you safe – For more information, see Prepare 1G.
Get support
Remember stalking, harassment and abuse are not okay and not your fault.
If you are in immediate danger please call 000, or to speak to a trained counsellor and call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Consider your device safety settings whilst browsing Yourtoolkit.com. Find device safety tips and instructions on how to clean browser history in Prepare 1A.
Alternatively, if you need to exit this website, immediately use the quick exit button. For added precaution, clear your browser history for the last hour and close down all tabs.
