Safety Planning Checklist

As you consider or plan to leave where you are currently living, be as prepared as possible. Gather items that others in your situation have found extremely helpful to take. Try to put items in one safe location so that if you have to leave in a hurry, you can grab them quickly.  Store as many of them as possible in a safe place or with a trusted person outside of your home.

___    Identification and/or driver’s license
___    Passport for self and children
___    Social security cards, for self and children
___    Birth certificates for self and children
___    Green card/immigration papers/work permits
___    Welfare identification
___    Marriage Certificate, Divorce papers, including custody order and will
___    Car title and registration
___    Cash, credit cards, ATM card, cell phone (warning: credit card and cell phone use could potentially be traced by an abuser)
___    Checkbook, bank books, and withdrawal slips
___    Health insurance or medical card
___    Medications or prescriptions
___    Medical records for all family members
___    Address book
___    School records
___    Lease, rental agreement, house deed
___    Keys for the house and car
___    Protective order, if you have one
___    Jewelry
___    Pets (NEWS has a program for this, ask your advocate)
___    Children’s small toys and/or blankets
___    Pictures and personal items with special meaning or that cannot be replaced
___    Change of clothes, for self and children
___    Journal of abusive behavior, including photographs
___    Abuser’s personal information: social security, date of birth, and pay stubs
___    Various insurance papers such as life, homeowner’s, and renter’s insurance