Domestic Violence Safety Plan

QUESTION: What is a domestic violence safety plan and why could one help me?

ANSWER:

A safety plan is a comprehensive plan for protecting yourself and your children from domestic violence. Safety plans are recommended by shelters for battered women and by state and local domestic violence coalitions. Safety plans have a dual purpose: to protect you and your children from a specific instance of domestic violence, and to help you safely escape -- permanently -- from the violence and your abuser.

According to The National Center for Victims of Crime (1-800-394-2255), the most important thing you can do, if you find yourself in a violent situation at home, is to talk with a victim advocate at your earliest opportunity. Your advocate will listen as you share the details of your home life and will help you develop a safety plan that is best for you and your family.

Victim advocates can be contacted by phone and via the internet. Help with developing a safety plan is also available from a victim advocate when you go directly to a shelter for battered women. The staff at your local hospital can put you in contact with a shelter if you are unable to locate one near you.

Another advocate, who will always be with you, who loves you, and who desires to be your protector and guide, is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is never too late entrust your life to Him. Jesus proclaimed “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Help is available through TroubledWith at www.troubledwith.com/counseling.