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Social Work vocabulary · Child Protection and Safeguarding

Safety plan

Meaning in social work, with examples

nounCommon term

In social work, safety plan means: A practical plan, made with the person or family, listing the steps to take and the people to contact to stay safe from a specific risk.

In Turkish: güvenlik planı

How it is used

Used in child protection, with survivors of domestic abuse and in suicide prevention. A good safety plan uses the person's own network, is written in plain language and is reviewed when the situation changes.

Example sentences

  1. We agreed a safety plan: the children will go to their aunt's house if their father comes home drunk.

  2. Her safety plan includes a list of people she can call at any time.

Common collocations

  • agree a safety plan
  • review the safety plan
  • safety planning
  • written safety plan
  • risk assessmentA structured look at what harm might happen, how likely and how serious it is, and what can be done to reduce it.
  • domestic abuseControlling, threatening or violent behaviour between partners, ex-partners or family members, including emotional, financial and physical abuse.
  • child protectionThe work of identifying children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, abuse or neglect and taking action to keep them safe.
  • protection orderA court order that protects a person from abuse or threats, for example by banning the abuser from contacting them or coming near their home.

More terms: Child Protection and Safeguarding

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