Risk assessment and safety planning is important as it helps support the safety and well-being of survivors, guides appropriate interventions, and supports legal and protective actions. The people who cause harm’s patterns of abusive behaviour impacts the physical and emotional safety and wellbeing of both adult and child survivors. It can cause serious harm, and even be fatal (homicide/suicide).
Risk Assessment tools to support your practice:
Safe Lives Domestic Abuse, Stalking & Honour-Based Violence Risk Indicator Checklist
(DASH RIC)
Safety Planning
All risk assessments must be followed up with safety planning.
Safety Planning should:
• Be completed collaboratively with the adult survivor.
• Consider the children in and age and developmental appropriate way e.g. how to contact emergency services; trusted adult or neighbour they could contact.
• Address identified risks.
• Should also address the potential risks or escalation from the ‘consequences’ of safety planning actions e.g. intervention from statutory services (police, children’s social care); separation; disclosure and seeking support.
• Address imminent or immediate danger or risks first and identify what can be followed up later.
• Identify who is doing what e.g. victim/survivor, practitioner and what help, support or action is needed from other agencies.
• Identify and emphasise the victim/survivors’ priorities for their and children’s safety.
Safety Planning Tools to Support Your Practice:
Safety Planning Advice for Victims/Survivors
Safety Planning Advice for Professionals
Hollie Guard Safety App
Safe Lives Safety Planning Tool
(download)
Safe Lives have created a safety and support planning template for frontline domestic abuse workers that is useful in documenting any safety planning, actions and advice given to the victim/survivor.
