Keeping Yourself Safe

• Where you can go to make a telephone call;
• A safe place where you can stay in an emergency. This may be with a friend or relative, a woman’s refuge, a hotel or a B&B.
• The telephone number of the safe place;
• How to get to the safe place. Decide how you will get there at different times of the day and night;
• The number of a local taxi firm;
• What to tell the children, and how to tell it to them, when you need to put the Safety Plan into action.

Important Information

• Your PRSI / PPS or Claim Number
• Your family’s essential medicines
• Your Child Benefit Book Number

Useful Phone Numbers:

• Social Welfare Office
• Garda Station
• Housing Department
• Law Centre / Solicitor
• Women’s Refuge / Support Service
• District Court
• Rape Crisis Centre

Collect together the following items. Hide them somewhere you can get to them in a hurry.

• Enough money to get to a safe place by bus or taxi;
• An extra set of keys for your home;
• An extra set of keys for your car;
• Extra clothes for you and your children.

It may be a good idea to put them in a bag and store it with a friend.

Think about where you can find the following items in a hurry. Have a bag ready if you can do so safely.

• School uniforms and some of your children’s things;
• Essential medicines;
• The health board and social welfare require personal identification and evidence to assess your entitlement, e.g.:
• Any court orders
• Claim’s book
• Marriage certificate
• Bank details
• RSI/PPS card
• Medical card
• Birth certificates
• Pay slips

If you can, discuss your Safety Plan with a trusted friend so they can support you if you need to put it into action.

Keep your Safety Plan in a safe place. Ideally, somewhere you can get it quickly if you need to leave in a hurry.