Developed by Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic
Violence
This safety plan is for victims of domestic violence. Safety planning helps develop tools in advance of potentially dangerous situations. Choose only the suggestions listed here that make sense for your set of circumstances.
Go to an area that has an exit.
Not a bathroom (near hard surfaces), kitchen (knives), or near weapons.
Stay in a room with a phone.
Call 911, a friend or a neighbor, if possible. Inform them if there are weapons in the home.
Know your escape route.
Practice how to get out of your home safely. Visualize your escape route.
Have a packed bag ready.
Keep it hidden in a handy place in order to leave quickly, or leave the bag elsewhere if the abuser searches your home.
Devise a code word or signal.
Tell your children, grandchildren or neighbors so you can communicate to them that you need the police.
Know where you're going.
Plan where you will go if you have to leave home, even if you don't think you'll need to.
Trust your judgment.
Consider anything that you feel will keep you safe and give you time to figure out what to do next. Sometimes it is best to flee, and sometimes it is best to placate the abuser - anything that works to protect yourself and the children.
Have a safe place to stay.
Make sure it is a place that can protect you and your children or grandchildren.
Call a domestic violence victim service program.
Find out which services and shelters are available as options if you need them. Keep their address and phone number close at hand at all times.
Find someone you trust.
Leave money, extra keys, copies of important documents and clothing with them in advance, so you can leave quickly, if necessary.
Open a savings account.
Put it in your name only, to increase your independence. Consider direct deposit from your paycheck or benefit check.
Review your safety plan.
Study and check your plans as often as possible in order to know the safest way to leave the abuser.
Concerns about immigration status.
You may qualify under a law called the Violence Against Women Act. Talk to an immigration expert (not Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or your local domestic violence victim services program for more information. (See "Kansas Domestic & Sexual Violence Helpline Numbers" below.)
Upgrade your security system.
Change the locks on doors and windows as soon as possible. Consider a security service, window bars, better lighting, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.
Have a safety plan.
Teach your children or grandchildren how to call the police or someone they can trust. Have a secret code word that you and your children agree on - to communicate trouble and for the people who are allowed to pick the children up.
Change your phone number.
Screen your calls if you have an answering machine or caller ID. Save all messages with threats or that violate any orders. Contact your local phone company about getting an unpublished number.
Talk to neighbors and landlord.
Inform them that the abuser no longer lives with you and that they should call the police if they see the abuser near your home.
Get legal advice.
Find a lawyer knowledgeable about domestic violence to explore custody, visitation and divorce provisions that protect you and the children. Discuss getting a restraining order as an option. The abuser may be mandated to a batterers' intervention program. Talk with the program to find out more about potential risks to you while the abuser participates. Additionally, contact your local domestic violence victim services program. (See "Kansas Domestic & Sexual Violence Helpline Numbers" below.)
Get support.
Call a domestic violence crisis help-line and/or attend a women's or victims' support group for at least two weeks to gain support from others and learn more about yourself and the relationship with the abuser.
Do what is safe for you.
If you have to communicate with the abuser, arrange to do so in the way that makes you feel safe - whether by phone, mail or in the company of another person.
Tell schools and childcare.
Let them know who has permission to pick up the child/ren and give them your code word. Discuss with them other special provisions to protect you and your child/ren. Provide a picture of the abuser if possible.
Exchange child/ren in a safe place.
Find a safe place to exchange the child/ren for visitation. Some communities have specific locations just for this purpose. Contact your local domestic violence victim services program for more information. (see “Kansas Domestic & Sexual Violence Helpline Numbers”)
Tell somebody.
Decide whom at work you will inform of your situation, especially if you have a Protection From Abuse Order (PFA). This may include office security if available. Provide a picture of the abuser if possible. It is your right to request and expect confidentiality from those you disclose to.
Screen your calls.
Arrange to have someone screen and log your telephone calls if possible.
Make a safety plan.
Create a safety plan for when you enter and leave your work place. Have someone escort you to your vehicle or other transportation.
If you and the abuser work at the same place, discuss with your supervisor your options regarding scheduling, safety precautions, employee/family benefits.
Contact your local domestic violence victim services program (see “Kansas Domestic & Sexual Violence Helpline Numbers”) to receive additional information about workplace safety.
For support, call the domestic violence program nearest you (see "Kansas Domestic & Sexual Violence Helpline Numbers" below), the Kansas Statewide Hotline at 888-END ABUSE (363-2287), or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233).
Programs are listed below the map, alphabetically by city, services provided, program names and their HOTLINE phone numbers. The numbers on the map correspond to the programs listed. Call the program nearest you. You do not have to live in the city where the program is located to use their services.
DV = domestic violence services provided SA = sexual assault services provided
| CITY | SERVICES | KCSDV MEMBER PROGRAM | CRISIS HOTLINE NUMBER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Atchison | DV/SA | DoVES | 800-367-7075 or 913-367-0363 |
| 2. Dodge City | DV/SA | Crisis Center of Dodge City | 620-225-6510 |
| 3. El Dorado | DV/SA | Family Life Center of Butler County | 800-870-6967 or 316-321-7104 |
| 4. Emporia | DV/SA | SOS, Inc. | 800-825-1295 or 620-342-1870 |
| 5. Garden City | DV/SA | Family Crisis Services | 800-275-0535 or 620-275-5911 |
| 6. Great Bend | DV/SA | Family Crisis Center | 866-792-1885 or 620-792-1885 |
| 7. Hays | DV/SA | Northwest Kansas Domestic and Sexual Violence Services | 800-794-4624 or 785-625-3055 |
| 8. Hutchinson | DV/SA | Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Center | 800-701-3630 or 620-663-2522 |
| 9. Iola | DV/SA | Hope Unlimited | 620-365-7566 |
| 10. Kansas City, KS | DV | El Centro, Inc. ¡Si Se Puede! | 913-677-0177 |
| 11. Kansas City, KS | DV | Friends of Yates Joyce Williams Center | 913-321-0951 |
| 12. Kansas City, MO | DV/SA | KCAVP | 816-561-0550 |
| 13. Kansas City, MO | SA | MOCSA | 816-531-0233 |
| 14. Lawrence | SA | GaDuGi Safe Center | 785-841-2345 |
| 15. Lawrence | DV | Women's Transitional Care Services | 800-770-3030 or 785-843-3333 |
| 16. Leavenworth | DV/SA | Alliance Against Family Violence | 800-644-1441 or 913-682-9131 |
| 17. Liberal | DV/SA | Liberal Area Rape Crisis and DV Services | 620-624-8818 |
| 18. Manhattan | DV/SA | The Crisis Center, Inc. | 800-727-2785 or 785-539-2785 |
| 19. Mayetta | DV/SA | Prairie Band Potawatomi Family Violence Prevention Program | 866-966-0173 or 785-966-2932 |
| 20. Newton | DV/SA | Harvey County DV/SA Task Force | 800-487-0510 or 316-283-0350 |
| 21. Overland Park | DV/SA | Safehome | 888-432-4300 or 913-262-2868 |
| 22. Pittsburg | DV/SA | Crisis Resource Center of Southeast Kansas, Inc. | 800-794-9148 or 620-231-8251 |
| 23. Salina | DV/SA | Domestic Violence Assoc. of Central Kansas | 800-874-1499 or 785-827-5862 |
| 24. Topeka | DV/SA | YWCA Battered Women Task Force | 888-822-2983 or 785-354-7927 |
| 25. Ulysses | DV/SA | DoVES of Grant County | 888-229-8812 or 620-356-2608 |
| 26. Wichita | DV | Catholic Charities Harbor House | 866-899-5522 or 316-263-6000 |
| 27. Wichita | DV | StepStone | 316-265-1611 |
| 28. Wichita | SA | Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center | 316-263-3002 |
| 29. Wichita | DV | YWCA Women's Crisis Center | 316-267-7233 |
| 30. Winfield | DV/SA | Safe Homes, Inc. | 800-794-7672 or 620-221-4357 |
This project was partially funded by the Federal Violence Against Women Act, awarded by the Federal Violence Against Women Grants Office and the Office of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department of Justice and the State Protection from Abuse Fund as administered by Kansas Attorney General Carla J. Stovall, awarded by the Violence Against Women Office, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, recommendations or points of view expressed in this publication are those of the author, KCSDV, and do not necessarily represent or reflect the official position or policies of the Office of the Kansas Attorney General or the U.S. Department of Justice.
Return to the Publications page.
XHTML | CSS | 508 | Accessibility Statement
If you have comments about the design of this website, please contact our web designer.