Domestic Violence
Safety Planning
One of the important roles of the caregiver is to assess the woman's risk for serious harm. The following questions will assist in the assessment of the woman's safety.
- Has your partner ever threatened to kill you, your children, your relatives or himself?
- Does he have access to weapons? Are there firearms in the house?
- Does your partner abuse alcohol or use drugs?
- Is your partner violent outside the home?
- Does your partner hurt the family pets?
- Has the violence increased in frequency or severity over the past year?
- Has there been any significant change to the marital situation such as pregnancy, separation?
The woman's risk for serious harm is important. Threats of murder or suicide are significant. Access to weapons, abuse of alcohol or drugs by the partner, harm to a family pet or a history of violence outside the home are all warning signs of risk. Another important observation is a recent escalation of the frequency or severity of the violence. According to the literature, changes such as immigration, separation, pregnancy, job loss or financial problems are associated with an escalation of violence. Ferris, p 24,35
Establishing the safety of children in the home is also important. The woman should be informed that any suspicion of abuse of the children must be reported to the appropriate professionals.
Assist the woman in developing an escape kit. It should contain copies or originals of all important documents, e.g. house deeds, health insurance cards, birth certificates and passports of the woman and the children. Copies of keys to the house, a change of clothes and a toy for each child may also be part of the kit. It should be packed to be maximally portable and perhaps stored at the home of a trusted friend or relative.
Options depending on the degree of dangerousness of the situation
For the woman in immediate danger:
- With the woman's consent, call the police
- Encourage her to stay with a friend
- Or contact shelter services
- Develop a safety plan
A Canadian study by Jaffe et al has shown that laying charges against violent partners reduced new incidents of violence. An American study by Sherman and Berk "found that arresting an abusive partner was twice as effective as other police strategies (such as separating the couple and offering advice) in reducing victim-reported repeated violence over a six month period". Ferris, p 25.
For the woman in no immediate danger:
- A referral to a social worker
- A referral to a counselor
- Return to partner/community resources
- Develop a safety plan
Do not:
- Tell her what to do
- Confront the abusive partner
- Tell her to leave her partner
- Recommend couple counseling
- Be judgmental.
Do try to:
- Determine her level of danger and inform her of your assessment
- Find out if the children are safe and uninjured. (If the children are in danger, you must contact the Children's Aid Society).
- Admit her to hospital, if no other safe alternative exists.
- Arrange for a social worker/counselor to see her with her permission
- Arrange for a follow-up visit
- Explore the consequences of each option.
- Support her decision.
- Make Safety Planning Tips available to her (PDF - 25KB).
Last Modified: September 5, 2006
