Challenges in Providing Safety Planning and Risk Management for Victims of Domestic Violence and Their Children

Police play a critical role in the overall safety of domestic violence (DV) victims and their child(ren). Police need to take a more proactive role in safety planning (SP) with victims and their child(ren) and risk management (RM) with perpetrators of domestic violence to avoid missed opportunities to prevent tragedies from happening. There is a need for police organizations to formalize training, policies, and directives specific to SP and RM for adult victims of DV and their child(ren).