I have made my home as safe as possible by:

• changing locks and adding dead bolts
• hiding sharp objects and weapons
• making telephones easy to get to

I have planned and practiced how my children and I can get away quickly by:

• deciding where we will go in an emergency
• showing the children what to do if the abuser breaks in or comes to their school and/or daycare
• teaching the children to call the police and safe relatives

In a notebook I write down dates and times when:

• the abuser talks to me or my children
• the abuser hurts or threatens me or my children
• the abuser tries to call me or my children. I will keep the answering machine tapes if the abuser’s voice is on them. I will take pictures of the caller ID displays on my phone that show the abuser called.

I have packed an emergency bag and hidden it. My emergency bag includes:

• money and change for phone calls
• clothing for me and my children
• personal care products like diapers and medicine
• copies of court papers such as my order of protection, divorce papers and child custody papers
• important papers such as birth certificates, medical records, bank records, insurance, etc.
• extra car keys and house keys
• telephone numbers and addresses for shelters, counselors, safe friends and relatives
•  my notebook about contacts by the abuser

I have hidden these things in a safe place:

• my emergency bag
• pictures of cuts, bruises or other ways my children and I have been hurt by the abuser
• pictures of anything of mine the abuser broke or damaged
• answering machine tapes of calls and threatening messages
• pictures of the caller ID display on my phone that show the abuser called me

I told these people about the abuser:

• my children
• their school and/or daycare
• my neighbors
• people I work with
• my relatives
• my friends

I have showed them pictures of the abuser and his car. They will call police if I say certain words. They will call police if they see the abuser or his car.

I will call the police if the abuser:

• contacts me
• follows me
• threatens me
• calls me
• has someone else follow me

I will:

• practice my escape plan with my children often
• pay attention to who is around me
• be prepared and alert when walking to and from my car and home
• stay calm no matter what happens
• find police stations and safe places so I know where to go if someone follows me
• keep plenty of gas in my car
• always put my keys and purse in the same place so I know right where they are if I have to leave quickly
• think about who will help me in a crisis
• protect myself and my children until we are out of danger. Then I will get help
• when I feel down and ready to go back to the abuser I will call________for support.

For my children I will:

• tell their school/daycare who is allowed to pick them up
• copy my custody papers and my order of protection. I will leave a copy with someone in charge at school and/or daycare
• practice our escape plan
• teach them to stay cool in a time of danger
• teach them how to call police
• keep my hiding places secret so they can’t accidentally tell the abuser

I know that:

• the safety of myself and my children comes before anything else
• the abuse is not my fault. I do NOT deserve to be abused
• with the help of community agencies, friends and family, I can stop the abuse.