Identify your partner’s use and level of force so that you can assess danger to you and your children before it occurs. Try to avoid an abusive situation by leaving. 

Identify safe areas of the house where there are no weapons and there are ways to escape. If arguments occur, try to move to those areas. 

If violence is unavoidable, make yourself a small target; dive into a corner and curl up into a ball with your face protected and arms around each side of your head, fingers entwined. Don’t run to where the children are, as your partner may hurt them as well. 

If possible, have a phone accessible at all times and know what numbers to call for help. Have important phone numbers nearby for you and your children. Numbers to have are the police, hotlines, friends and the local shelter. 

Let trusted friends and neighbors know of your situation and develop a plan and visual signal for when you need help. Let them know when to call police.   

Teach your children how to get help. Instruct them not to get involved in the violence between you and your partner. Plan a code word to signal to them that they should get help or leave the house. 

Tell your children that violence is never right, even when someone they love is being violent. Tell them that neither you, nor they, are at fault or are the cause of the violence, and that when anyone is being violent, it is important to stay safe. 

Practice how to get out safely. Practice with your children. 

Keep weapons like guns and knives locked away and as inaccessible as possible. 

Make a habit of backing the car into the driveway and keeping it fueled. Keep the driver’s door unlocked and others locked — for a quick escape. 

Create several plausible reasons for leaving the house at different times of the day or night. 

Think of where you could go. Think of how you might leave. Try doing things that get you out of the house - taking out the trash, walking the pet or going to the store. Put together a bag of things you use every day (see the checklist below). Hide it where it is easy for you to get. 

Call a domestic violence hotline periodically to assess your options and get a supportive understanding ear. 

Keep any evidence of physical abuse, such as pictures. 

Know where you can go to get help; tell someone what is happening to you. 

If you are injured, go to a doctor or an emergency room and report what happened to you. Ask that they document your visit. 

Plan with your children and identify a safe place for them, like a room with a lock or a friend’s house where they can go for help. Reassure them that their job is to stay safe, not to protect you. 

Identify at least four places you could go if you leave your home. 

People who might help you if you left. Think about people who will keep a bag for you. Think about people who might lend you money. Make plans for your pets. 

Opening a bank account or getting a credit card in your name. 

Try doing things that get you out of the house - taking out the trash, walking the family pet, or going to the store. Practice how you would leave. 

How you could take your children with you safely. There are times when taking your children with you may put all of your lives in danger. You need to protect yourself to be able to protect your children. 

Contact your local battered women’s shelter and find out about laws and other resources available to you before you have to use them during a crisis. 

Keep a journal of all violent incidences, noting dates, events and threats made, if possible. 

Acquire job skills or take courses at a community college as you can. 

Try to set money aside or ask friends or family members to hold money for you. 

You may request a police stand-by or escort while you leave. 

If you need to sneak away, be prepared. 

Make a plan for how and where you will escape. 

Plan for a quick escape. 

Put aside emergency money as you can. 

Hide an extra set of car keys. 

Pack an extra set of clothes for yourself and your children and store them at a trusted friend or neighbor’s house. Try to avoid using the homes of next-door neighbors, close family members and mutual friends. 

Take with you important phone numbers of friends, relatives, doctors, schools, etc., as well as other important items, including: 

Driver’s license 

Regularly needed medication 

Credit cards or a list of credit cards you hold yourself or jointly 

Pay stubs 

Checkbooks and information about bank accounts and other assets 

If time is available, also take: 

Citizenship documents (such as your passport, green card, etc.) 

Titles, deeds and other property information 

Medical records 

Children’s school and immunization records 

Insurance information 

Copy of marriage license, birth certificates, will and other legal documents 

Verification of social security numbers 

Welfare identification 

Valued pictures, jewelry or personal possessions 

Items for your children (toys, blankets, etc.) 

Change your locks and phone number. 

Change your work hours and route taken to work. 

Change the route taken to transport children to school. 

Keep a certified copy of your restraining order with you at all times. 

Inform friends, neighbors and employers that you have a restraining order in effect. 

Give copies of the restraining order to employers, neighbors and schools along with a picture of the offender. 

Call law enforcement to enforce the order. 

Consider renting a post office box or using the address of a friend for your mail. 

Be aware that addresses are on restraining orders and police reports. Be careful to whom you give your new address and phone number. 

Change your work hours, if possible. 

Alert school authorities of the situation. 

Consider changing your children’s schools. 

Reschedule appointments that the offender is aware of. 

Use different stores and frequent different social spots. 

Alert neighbors and request that they call the police if they feel you may be in danger. 

Talk to trusted people about the violence. 

Replace wooden doors with steel or metal doors. Install security systems if possible. 

Install a motion sensitive lighting system. 

Tell people you work with about the situation and have your calls screened by one receptionist if possible. 

Tell people who take care of your children who can pick up your children. Explain your situation to them and provide them with a copy of the restraining order.