Make a safety plan

If you feel vulnerable, scared or threatened by your partner, it's important to make a safety plan. This plan can help if you decide to leave your partner. It's also valuable to have a safety plan if you are in danger and need to get away quickly. Take these steps:

• Call a domestic violence hotline for support and advice. Hotline counselors can tell you about resources to help you. Make the call when your partner is away. Or call from a family member's or friend's home or other safe location.
• Pack an emergency bag. Include items you'll need if you leave, such as clothes, extra keys, a phone charger, and spare glasses or contact lenses. Store the bag in a safe place. Keep it outside your home, if possible.
• Keep important personal papers, money and prescription medications easily available. That way you can take them with you on short notice.
• Keep a phone close by as much as possible. Have emergency numbers and key contacts entered into the phone so that you can call quickly if you need help.
• Decide ahead of time where you'll go if you leave and how you'll get there.

It's also a good idea to plan a signal you can give to a trusted friend, neighbor or family member if you need someone to call 911 or emergency help for you.