Episode 63: "What is a Safety Plan?"
Episode 63: "What is a Safety Plan?"
Today, we’re answering questions from local teens about how safety plans work.
This is Jessica Skultety, Community Outreach Associate at Safe+Sound Somerset. We are Somerset County, New Jersey's lead domestic violence response organization, providing services at no charge for survivors of dating and domestic abuse for over 40 years.
Today's question from local teens is: "What is a safety plan?"
Safety is the most important thing! You have a right to feel safe where you work or go to school, at home, and in a relationship. A safety plan is a personalized plan that has information and strategies for feeling and being safe with a partner or ex-partner. This can be used when someone wants to stay safe in an abusive relationship, when you might plan to leave, or after leaving, since abuse often continues with an ex.
You are the expert on your own life, so you can decide which information for a safety best fits your situation. Our advocates can also safety plan with you for your specific situation on our 24/7 call or text hotline at 866-685-1122. On today’s episode, we’ll talk about a few things that we generally recommend to teens on our Teen Safety Plan.
Here is some general information about staying safe:
· Trust your instincts and listen to your gut – if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. If you’re in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, stay calm and remove yourself from the situation. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or another emergency response service.
· Set boundaries – you have a right to do this. If someone, like your partner, is testing your boundaries or is overstepping them, you have a right to be safe and to say “no” to anything. If your partner disregards or plays down your feelings, you are not receiving the respect that you deserve.
· Abuse is not your fault, no matter what your partner says. Abuse is a choice of behavior that one partner makes.
· And, take time for you! Do things you enjoy with people you love, like friends and family. This is one way that can help people heal from abuse.
When you are preparing to leave an abusive relationship, there are some things to think about. Violence often gets worse at this time. However, you have the right to end a relationship for any reason, and you do not deserve to feel unsafe. We recommend reaching out to our advocates our 24/7 hotline to safety plan about how to leave your relationship safely.
And as part of a safety plan, here are some things that can be helpful to keep on you at all times:
· A working and charged cell phone, with a charger
· Spare cash in case you can’t use your phone-pay apps. Some people who abuse take control over money apps and phones
· You can keep on you your keys for house, car, etc., and/or bus pass
· Driver’s license and important IDs
· A physical list (separate from your phone) of important phone numbers of people you trust
· And a copy of your safety plan is good to have on you
We also have specific tips for teens for staying safe at school, at home, and online. You can find these and more at www.safe-sound.org/teen-safety-planning
Want to “Ask Ava” a question? Visit our website at www.safe-sound.org/ask-ava. Thank you for listening today. Join us next time here on Ask Ava.