Plan · Document
Exit · Stabilise
Digital safety, evidence and documentation, safety planning framework, the Freedom Programme, and safe exit strategies — practical steps to protect yourself and your children.
Digital safety
Protecting your digital privacy
Abusers increasingly use technology to monitor, control, and locate victims. Take these steps as a priority.
Browsing & devices
- Use Private/Incognito mode: Ctrl+Shift+N (PC) or Cmd+Shift+N (Mac)
- Clear your browser history after visiting this site
- Use a device the abuser cannot access — library, friend’s, work
- Download the Bright Sky app — it disguises itself as a weather app
- Check your phone for tracking apps or location sharing
Accounts & communications
- Change passwords from a safe device — use a new email address if needed
- Review location sharing settings on your phone and apps
- Check for shared family accounts (Google, Apple, mobile) that share location
- Remove smart home devices the abuser controls or can access
- Consider a separate phone or SIM card for communications about safety
Evidence & documentation
Keeping a record of abuse is one of the most powerful things you can do — both for your own clarity and for any legal proceedings. Do this safely, using a method the abuser cannot access.
What to document
- Date, time, and location of every incident
- Exactly what was said or done — use the abuser’s own words where possible
- Any witnesses present (including children who saw or heard)
- Injuries — photograph and note where, how, and when they occurred
- Messages, emails, voicemails — screenshot and back up to a secure account
- Medical appointments relating to injuries — note GP/A&E details
- Police call-outs — note date, officers’ names, and incident number
Safe storage of evidence
- Use a cloud account the abuser has no access to — new email address if needed
- Email evidence to a trusted friend or family member for safe-keeping
- Consider a written diary kept at a trusted person’s home or address
- Do not store evidence on a shared device or cloud account
- Screenshot and back up all messages — abusers can delete them
- GP and medical records automatically document injuries — ask to see your records
Creating a safety plan
A safety plan is a personalised, practical strategy to protect yourself. It doesn’t mean you have to leave immediately — it means you are prepared if you need to.
In the home
- Know which rooms have exits and which don’t — avoid rooms with weapons or no escape routes
- Identify a safe room if possible — one with a lock and access to a phone
- Memorise key phone numbers in case you cannot access your phone
- Prepare a “go bag” (see below) and store it somewhere accessible or with someone trusted
- Have a code word with a trusted person that signals you need help
Emergency go bag
- Passport, birth certificates, driving licence
- Bank cards, some cash
- Medication and medical records
- Phone charger and spare phone if possible
- Children’s documents and favourite comfort items
- Spare keys to car and home
- Evidence documentation copies
- Refuge or helpline contact numbers
Building your support network
- Identify one or two trusted people who know what is happening
- Agree a code word for emergency situations
- Share your safety plan location with a trusted person
- Contact your local DA service — they will help you create a detailed safety plan
- National DA Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (free, 24/7)
Survivor safety framework
Plan
Create your safety plan. Know your exits. Prepare your go bag. Build your support network. Have key numbers memorised.
Document
Record every incident. Screenshot messages. Photograph injuries. Keep evidence in a secure, inaccessible location.
Exit
When you are ready or when it is safe to do so. You do not have to leave today — but have your plan ready. Call 999 if in immediate danger.
Stabilise
Refuge, legal support, financial independence, emotional recovery. You will not always feel like this. Recovery is possible.
Stalking, harassment & evidence
Stalking & harassment support
Stalking is a pattern — not a one-off incident
Stalking and harassment are criminal offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Post-separation stalking is extremely common and is one of the strongest predictors of escalating danger. Document everything.
What stalking includes
- Following, watching, and monitoring your movements
- Repeated unwanted contact — calls, texts, emails, social media
- Monitoring your home, workplace, car
- Contacting friends, family, or employers about you
- Installing tracking or spyware on devices without consent
- Interfering with your property or pets
- Online harassment and cyberstalking
National Stalking Helpline — Suzy Lamplugh Trust
0808 802 0300 — Mon–Fri 9:30am–4pm
suzylamplugh.org →What evidence is admissible in court
Evidence you gather yourself can be used in both criminal and civil proceedings if obtained correctly:
- Your own recordings: Audio and video you record of incidents on your own device are generally admissible — you do not need the other person’s consent to record your own interactions in England and Wales
- Screenshots and messages: Screenshot everything — WhatsApp, texts, emails, social media. Back up to a cloud account the abuser cannot access
- Voicemails: Save and back up. Do not delete anything
- Photographs of injuries: Date-stamped photographs are powerful evidence — take multiple from different angles with good lighting
- Medical records: Every GP and A&E visit where injuries are documented creates an official record
- Witness accounts: Write down names and contact details of anyone who witnessed incidents
- 999 call recordings: These are retained and routinely used as evidence — the call itself may capture the incident
CIFAS Protective Registration
If you have fled abuse and are concerned the perpetrator may use your personal information to take out credit or loans in your name, CIFAS protective registration is a free service that places a flag on your credit file warning lenders to conduct extra verification checks.
- Free to apply as a victim of fraud or DA
- Lenders must conduct additional checks before approving credit in your name
- Applies for two years and can be renewed
- Apply at cifas.org.uk/protective-registration
- Also consider a notice of disassociation from a financial partner on your credit file
The Freedom Programme
The Freedom Programme is a domestic abuse awareness programme — run live and online — that helps participants understand the beliefs held by abusers and the effects of those beliefs on victims and their children. It is available in-person and online across the UK, and is often free or low-cost.
The programme helps survivors — before or after leaving — to understand what has happened and rebuild strength and confidence.
Leaving safely — what you need to know
Leaving is the most dangerous time. The period immediately before and after leaving is statistically when victims are at highest risk of serious harm or homicide. Please do not leave without a safety plan and support in place.
- Do not tell the abuser you are planning to leave until you are safe
- Have your go bag ready and accessible
- Call the National DA Helpline for advice: 0808 2000 247
- Ask police about a DAPN or DAPO before leaving if the abuser knows where you are going
- Refuge can provide emergency accommodation — call the helpline to be referred
- You can apply for an emergency Non-Molestation Order urgently — contact a legal aid solicitor
- If you are in immediate danger: call 999
- If you cannot speak: press 55 after calling 999 (Silent Solution)
The 10-Day Survivor Safety Plan
A structured, day-by-day guide to planning your exit safely — covering evidence gathering, documentation, practical preparation, and stabilisation after leaving. Written specifically for UK survivors with practical steps for each of the 10 days.
Safety apps for domestic abuse survivors
These apps are designed to help you get help quickly, discreetly, and safely. Several disguise themselves so they don’t appear suspicious on your device.
Hollie Guard
A personal safety app developed by the Hollie Gazzard Trust. Shake your phone to trigger a silent alert to your nominated contacts — sending your GPS location and triggering audio recording. Available free on iOS and Android.
- Silent shake-to-alert function
- Live GPS location sent to trusted contacts
- Audio recording activated automatically
- Free to download
Bright Sky
Free app providing support, information, and a journal to record incidents of abuse. Crucially, it disguises itself as a weather app on your phone — so it’s not obvious to an abuser checking your device.
- Disguises as a weather app
- Incident journal and evidence log
- UK helpline directory built in
- Available in multiple languages
Kulpra
A UK-developed safety app that allows you to discreetly record and safely store evidence of abuse, including voice recordings, photos, and written logs. Designed with survivors in mind.
- Secure evidence storage on your device
- Discreet recording functionality
- Safety planning tools built in
Pet safety — protecting animals when abuse is present
Perpetrators often target pets as a tool of control. Your pet’s safety matters — and there is specialist help.
If you or your pet are in immediate danger: call 999. If you cannot speak, press 55 so the operator knows you need urgent police assistance. You can state clearly if a pet is being harmed or threatened.
Perpetrators often target animals because they know how much they matter. This is now widely recognised in domestic abuse and animal-welfare work. Threatening or harming a pet is a form of coercive and controlling behaviour and may constitute criminal damage and animal cruelty under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
How pets are used in abuse
- Threatening to hurt or kill the pet if you leave, disclose, or don’t comply
- Actually harming or neglecting the pet as punishment or intimidation
- Using the pet to monitor or control you — insisting only they walk/feed the animal
- Blocking escape by refusing to allow pets in the car or withholding paperwork
- Forcing children to watch or participate in cruelty to the animal
Planning for your pet’s safety
If it is safe to do so, gather this information:
- Pet’s name, microchip number, vet details, vaccination and insurance paperwork
- Proof of ownership — vet bills in your name, microchip registration, adoption papers
- Recent photos of the pet with you or your children
- Store copies on a safe device or with a trusted person
Pet go-bag essentials
- Lead, collar with ID tag, a few days’ food
- Any medication or treatments
- Favourite toy or blanket for comfort
- Travel bowls and basic supplies
If you have to leave without your pet
Leaving without your pet does not mean you have failed them. Specialist free fostering schemes exist:
- Dogs Trust — Freedom Project: Free, confidential dog-fostering for people fleeing domestic abuse. Operates across England, Scotland and Wales. dogstrust.org.uk/freedom-project
- Cats Protection — Lifeline: Free, confidential cat-fostering service for those fleeing DA in many regions. cats.org.uk
- RSPCA and local partner schemes — ask your local domestic abuse service which schemes are active in your area
- All schemes: confidential locations, vet care covered, reunification once you are safe and rehoused
Legal & safeguarding notes
- Animal cruelty and threats to pets should be recorded in any DA report, DASH risk assessment, or MARAC referral
- Police and CPS can charge animal-cruelty offences alongside DA offences — this can strengthen your case
- In family court, evidence of harm or threats to pets can help demonstrate coercive control
Pet safety contacts
- RSPCA cruelty line: 0300 1234 999 — for cruelty, neglect or an animal in distress
- Dogs Trust Freedom Project: dogstrust.org.uk
- Cats Protection Lifeline: cats.org.uk
- Always tell your IDVA or DA service about your pets — they can help access fostering
From the Founder
From the Founder
Personal writing from Amy Royle — survival, recovery, neurodiversity, parenting through trauma, advocacy, and the journey that built NAAVoices.
All resources by NAAVoices.com — ⚖ DA & Neurodiversity — Understanding the Risks, Barriers & Support ⚠ Police Misconduct & Victim BlamingYour Pain, Your Voice, Your Life Matters — NAAVoices