Safety tips for you
PLEASE CALL 911 IF YOU ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER!
If you are at home and you are being threatened or attacked:
*Stay away
from the kitchen (where the abuser can find weapons such as knives)
* Stay away
from the bathroom, closets or small spaces where the abuser can trap you.
* Get to a
room with a door or a window to escape.
*Call 911
right away. Get the dispatchers name
*Think about
a neighbor or friend you can run to for help.
*If a police
officer comes, tell them what happened. Get their name and badge number.
*Get medical
help if you are hurt, take pictures of bruises or injuries. Date and sign
photos.
Preventive Protection At Home:
Click here for a safety plan worksheet
*Learn where to get help and memorize emergency phone numbers.
*Keep a phone in a room that can be locked from the inside. If possible, have a
cell phone with you.
*Change the locks on your doors (or wedge a chair under the door knob) and get
locks on the windows, if the abuser has moved out.
*Plan an escape route out of your home and teach it to your children.
*Think ahead on where you can go to escape.
*Ask
your neighbors to call the police if they see the abuser at your house. Make a
signal that only they know for them to call the police (let their phone ring 3
times then hang up.. turn a light off and on.. raise a shade..)
*Pack a bag with important things you would need if you had to leave quickly,
put it in a safe place, or give it to a friend or relative you can trust.
*Remember to include cash, car keys and important information such as: court
papers, passports, birth certificates, medical records, medicines, immigration
papers, etc.
*Get
an unlisted phone number. Block Caller ID. Use an answering machine, screen
calls.
*Take a good self defense course.
*Change your regular travel habits and routines.
*Try
to get rides with different people.
*Shop and bank in a different place.
*Cancel any bank accounts or credit cards you shared; open new accounts at a
different bank.
*Keep your court orders and emergency numbers with you at all times.
*Keep a cell phone and program it with 911.
CLICK HERE FOR A CIRCLE OF SUPPORT WORKSHEET
How to make your Children Safer
*Teach them not to get in the middle of a fight, even if they want to help.
*Teach them how to get to safety, to call 911, and to stay on the line until the
police arrive.
*Teach them who to call for help.
*Tell them to stay out of the kitchen.
*Give the principal at school or at the daycare a copy of your court order; tell
them not to release your children to anyone without talking to you first. Use a
password so they can be sure it is you on the phone. give them a photo of the
abuser.
*Make sure the children know who to tell at school if they see the abuser.
*Make sure the school knows not to give your addressor phone number to ANYONE.
How to make yourself safer at work:
*Keep a copy of your court order at work.
*Give a picture of the abuser to security and friends at work.
*Tell your supervisors-- see if they can make it harder for the abuser to find
you.
*Don't go to lunch alone.
*Ask
for a security guard to walk you to your car.
*Save voice mail and e-mail if the abuser contacts you at work.
*Use
resources available through your employer, such as an employee assistance plan.
PLEASE USE THE LAW TO HELP PROTECT YOURSELF!!
Go through the correct criminal proceedings. Be safe at the courthouse.
HELPFUL PHONE NUMBERS!
Alcohol and Drug Helpline - Provides referrals to local facilities where adolescents and adults can seek help. Brief intervention. 1-800-821-4357
Child Abuse National Hotline, call 1-800-252-2873, 1-800-25ABUSE
Child Abuse: To report call 1-800-4-A-CHILD
Children in immediate risk or danger 1-800-THE-LOST
Covenant House Nineline - Crisis line for youth, teens, and families. Locally based referrals throughout the United States. Help for youth and parents regarding drugs, abuse, homelessness, runaway children, and message relays. 1-800-999-9999
Domestic
Violence Resource Hotline - referrals for shelters and
counseling in your area. 1-800-799-7233 1-800-787-3224 (TDD)
Elder Abuse Hotline 1-800-252-8966
Friends of Battered Women and Their Children, 1-800-603-HELP
Kid Help - Children and adolescents in crisis will receive immediate help. Referrals to shelters, mental health services, sexual abuse treatment, substance abuse, family counseling, residential care, adoption/foster care, etc. 1-800-543-7283
NAMI Helpline National Alliance for the Mentally Ill 1-800-950-NAMI
National Youth Crisis Hotline 1-800-448-4663
National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-25-ABUSE
National Mental Health Assn. Provides free information on specific disorders, referral directory to mental health providers, national directory of local mental health associations
1-800-969-6642 (M-F, 9-5 EST)
National
Institute of Mental Health Information Line: Provides information and literature
on mental illness by disorder-for
professionals and general public. 1-800-647-2642
Runaway Switchboard - National - Provides crisis intervention and travel assistance to runaways. Gives referrals to shelters nationwide. Also relays messages to, or sets up conference calls with, parents at the request of the child. Has access to AT&T-Language Line. hours. 1-800-621-4000
SAFE (Self-Abuse Finally Ends) 1-800-DONT-CUT, 1-800-366-8288
Youth
Crisis Hotline: Crisis hotline and information & referral for runaways or youth
in crisis
1-800-HIT-HOME, 1-800-448-4663
WE WANT YOU SAFE!