Leaving an abusive relationship is often the most dangerous time for a victim of domestic violence, and often victims will go to multiple people in their support network for help before ever seeking out assistance from a trained domestic violence advocate. While safety planning with a trained advocate is an essential part of the advocacy process and referrals to an advocate should always be made whenever possible, anyone who is offering support to a victim can learn the basics of safety planning skills. The more we all know about good safety planning, the better we can all help to increase safety for victims. This workshop will provide a basic overview for people who are not training domestic violence advocates on how to safety plan with victims who are either in an abusive situation or who are thinking about or in the process of leaving.
After attending this workshop, participants will be able to:
• Outline the Do’s and Don’ts of talking with victims about their domestic violence situation
• Describe the warning signs and danger indicators in abusive relationships
• Identify basic safety steps and practices with victims who are in an abusive situation or who are in the process of leaving