Everyone should have one of these, you never know. We buyn insurance on our cars and homes and the rates are one in 3 this can happen to one of us.

I also recommend.

Scanning everything, every document every baby photos, everything. Open a yahoo account and then you have it when you need it. In case of fire or flood this will prove to be your greatest friend.

Personal Safety Plans
It is imperative for victims of domestic violence to have a personalized safety plan. I have included a few examples for you to review. Please spend some time looking through these plans so you can offer the information to a victim you may know.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:Safety Tips For You And Your Family
IF YOU ARE IN DANGER, CALL 911
or your local police emergency number
To find out about help in your area, call: National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
Whether or not you feel able to leave an abuser,
there are things you can do to make yourself and your family safer.
IN AN EMERGENCY
If you are at home & you are being threatened or attacked:
• Stay away from the kitchen (the abuser can find weapons, like knives, there)
• Stay away from bathrooms, closets or small spaces where the abuser can trap you
• Get to a room with a door or window to escape
• Get to a room with a phone to call for help; lock the abuser outside if you can
• Call 911 (or your local emergency number) right away for help; get the dispatcher's name
• Think about a neighbor or friend you can run to for help
• If a police officer comes, tell him/her what happened; get his/her name & badge number
• Get medical help if you are hurt
• Take pictures of bruises or injuries
• Call a domestic violence program or shelter (some are listed here); ask them to help you make a safety plan
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AT HOME
• Learn where to get help; memorize emergency phone numbers
• Keep a phone in a room you can lock from the inside; if you can, get a cellular phone that you keep with you at all times
• If the abuser has moved out, change the locks on your door; get locks on the windows
• Plan an escape route out of your home; teach it to your children
• Think about where you would go if you need to escape
• Ask your neighbors to call the police if they see the abuser at your house; make a signal for them to call the police, for example, if the phone rings twice, a shade is pulled down or a light is on
• Pack a bag with important things you'd need if you had to leave quickly; put it in a safe place, or give it to a friend or relative you trust
• Include cash, car keys & important information such as: court papers, passport or birth certificates, medical records & medicines, immigration papers
• Get an unlisted phone number
• Block caller ID
• Use an answering machine; screen the calls
• Take a good self-defense course
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, to give your address & phone number to the police
• Teach them who to call for help
• Tell them to stay out of the kitchen
• Give the principal at school or the daycare center 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 that the school knows not to give your address or phone number to ANYONE
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF OUTSIDE THE HOME
• Change your regular travel habits
• 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 order and emergency numbers with you at all times
• Keep a cell phone & program it to 911 (or other emergency number)
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 a security guard to walk you to your car or to the bus
• If the abuser calls you at work, save voice mail and save e-mail
• Your employer may be able to help you find community resources
USING THE LAW TO HELP YOU
Protection or Restraining Orders
• Ask your local domestic violence program who can help you get a civil protection order and who can help you with criminal prosecution
• Ask for help in finding a lawyer
In most places, the judge can:
• Order the abuser to stay away from you or your children
• Order the abuser to leave your home
• Give you temporary custody of your children & order the abuser to pay you temporary child support
• Order the police to come to your home while the abuser picks up personal belongings
• Give you possession of the car, furniture and other belongings
• Order the abuser to go to a batterers intervention program
• Order the abuser not to call you at work
• Order the abuser to give guns to the police
If you are worried about any of the following, make sure you:
• Show the judge any pictures of your injuries
• Tell the judge that you do not feel safe if the abuser comes to your home to pick up the children to visit with them
• Ask the judge to order the abuser to pick up and return the children at the police station or some other safe place
• Ask that any visits the abuser is permitted are at very specific times so the police will know by reading the court order if the abuser is there at the wrong time
• Tell the judge if the abuser has harmed or threatened the children; ask that visits be supervised; think about who could do that for you
• Get a certified copy of the court order
• Keep the court order with you at all times
CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS
• Show the prosecutor your court orders
• Show the prosecutor medical records about your injuries or pictures if you have them
• Tell the prosecutor the name of anyone who is helping you (a victim advocate or a lawyer)
• Tell the prosecutor about any witnesses to injuries or abuse
• Ask the prosecutor to notify you ahead of time if the abuser is getting out of jail
BE SAFE AT THE COURTHOUSE
• Sit as far away from the abuser as you can; you don't have to look at or talk to the abuser; you don't have to talk to the abuser's family or friends if they are there
• Bring a friend or relative with you to wait until your case is heard
• Tell a bailiff or sheriff that you are afraid of the abuser and ask him/her to look out for you
• Make sure you have your court order before you leave
• Ask the judge or the sheriff to keep the abuser there for a while when court is over; leave quickly
• If you think the abuser is following you when you leave, call the police immediately
• If you have to travel to another State for work or to get away from the abuser, take your protection order with you; it is valid everywhere

Personalized Safety Plan
Your safety is the most important thing. Listed below are tips to help keep you safe. The resources in this book can help you to make a safety plan that works best for you. It is important to get help with your safety plan. Many of the resources listed in this book can help you.
HAVEN may be able to provide you with a cell phone that is programmed to only call 911. These phones are for when you need to call the police and cannot get to any other phone.
If you are in an abusive relationship, think about...
1. Having important phone numbers nearby for you and your children. Numbers to have are the police, hotlines, friends and the local shelter.
2. Friends or neighbors you could tell about the abuse. Ask them to call the police if they hear angry or violent noises. If you have children, teach them how to dial 911. Make up a code word that you can use when you need help.
3. How to get out of your home safely. Practice ways to get out.
4. Safer places in your home where there are exits and no weapons. If you feel abuse is going to happen try to get your abuser to one of these safer places.
5. Any weapons in the house. Think about ways that you could get them out of the house.
6. Even if you do not plan to leave, 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 everyday (see the checklist below). Hide it where it is easy for you to get.
7. Going over your safety plan often.
If you consider leaving your abuser, think about...
1. Four places you could go if you leave your home.
2. 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.
3. Keeping change for phone calls or getting a cell phone.
4. Opening a bank account or getting a credit card in your name.
5. How you might leave. 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.
6. 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.
7. Putting together a bag of things you use everyday. Hide it where it is easy for you to get.
ITEMS TO TAKE, IF POSSIBLE
 Children (if it is safe)
 Money
 Keys to car, house, work
 Extra clothes
 Medicine
 Important papers for you and your children
 Birth certificates
 Social security cards
 School and medical records
 Bankbooks, credit cards
 Driver's license
 Car registration
 Welfare identification
 Passports, green cards, work permits
 Lease/rental agreement
 Mortgage payment book, unpaid bills
 Insurance papers
 PPO, divorce papers, custody orders
 Address book
 Pictures, jewelry, things that mean a lot to you
 Items for your children (toys, blankets, etc.)
8. Think about reviewing your safety plan often.
If you have left your abuser, think about...
1. Your safety - you still need to.
2. Getting a cell phone. HAVEN may be able to provide you with a cell phone that is programmed to only call 911. These phones are for when you need to call the police and cannot get to any other phone.
3. Getting a PPO from the court. Keep a copy with you all the time. Give a copy to the police, people who take care of your children, their schools and your boss.
4. Changing the locks. Consider putting in stronger doors, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, a security system and outside lights.
5. Telling friends and neighbors that your abuser no longer lives with you. Ask them to call the police if they see your abuser near your home or children.
6. Telling people who take care of your children the names of people who are allowed to pick them up. If you have a PPO protecting your children, give their teachers and babysitters a copy of it.
7. Telling someone at work about what has happened. Ask that person to screen your calls. If you have a PPO that includes where you work, consider giving your boss a copy of it and a picture of the abuser. Think about and practice a safety plan for your workplace. This should include going to and from work.
8. Not using the same stores or businesses that you did when you were with your abuser.
9. Someone that you can call if you feel down. Call that person if you are thinking about going to a support group or workshop.
10. Safe way to speak with your abuser if you must.
11. Going over your safety plan often.
WARNING: Abusers try to control their victim's lives. When abusers feel a loss of control - like when victims try to leave them - the abuse often gets worse. Take special care when you leave. Keep being careful even after you have left.


Personalized Safety Plan
This information was generalized from a plan found at Metro Nashville Police Department. Below is a seven step safety plan. Please take the time to print this and fill it out with a friend, family member or a woman in need. Even if you feel you will never need this information...

Step 1. Safety during violence.

I can use the following options:
a. If I decide to leave, I will________________________________________________
See Your Safety Plan.

b. I can keep a bag ready and put it______________________ so I can leave quickly.

c. I can tell________________________________about the violence and have them call the police when violence erupts.

d. I can teach my children to use the telephone to call the police and the fire department.

e. I will use this word code________________________________for my children, friends, or family to call for help.

f. If I have to leave my home, I will go_______________________________. (Be prepared even if you think you will never have to leave.)

g. I can teach these strategies to my children.

h. When an argument erupts, I will move to a safer room such as____________________________________________. See Your Safety Plan.