safety-planning

Safety planning is a structured risk assessment and response process that helps communities facing intimate partner violence or stalking reduce danger while preserving survivor autonomy. It guides leaders through documentation, safe spaces, and authority engagement.

To create a safety plan, you assess the specific threat, establish emergency contacts and safe spaces, implement documentation practices, and coordinate with trusted allies. This step-by-step framework maximizes safety while honoring survivor choices.

Safety planning enforces clear guidelines for appropriate engagement with authorities, including mandatory reporting obligations. It balances coordinating with outside resources and law enforcement while strictly honoring the choices and autonomy of the survivor.

You should use safety planning instead of conflict resolution when a community faces genuine physical risk, such as threats from dangerous community members or stalking. It addresses actual danger rather than managing interpersonal disputes.

Safety planning does not replace immediate emergency services for high-risk threats. Its limitations include relying on collaborative response planning and risk reduction strategies, meaning survivors and leaders must actively coordinate with outside resources.

Yes, you can use this framework for stalking and intimate partner violence. It provides specialized collaborative risk assessment guidance and practical risk reduction steps tailored to these specific forms of physical danger.