Health & Safety Plan for Indigenous Families

A safety plan is a tool to help you prepare for a crisis and how you and your children will get to safety.

Safety plans help you:

Think about what to do ahead of time.
Prepare for how you will handle a dangerous situation.
Protect you and your children from violence.

Read through this publication and think carefully about your answers. It may not be safe to keep this booklet at home. You may want to give it to a trusted family member, friend, an Indigenous Victim Assistance worker, or PEI Family Violence Prevention Services staff member.

What is family violence?
Family violence is any violence or abuse by one family member against another family member. Family violence includes violence:
- By one partner against the other.
- By a parent against a child.
- By a child against a parent.
- Between siblings.
- Involving grandparents.
You could experience violence from someone you are dating whom you do not live with. You may also need a safety plan when violence happens in your community, not just from your immediate family.
What happens to our family home if we live on reserve and there is violence/separation?

A family home is a place where spouses usually live until the relationship ends or one of the spouses dies.

Property rights are different if you live on or off reserve. The Indian Act sets out how property rights work on reserve.

If you live in a family home on a reserve held by Abegweit First Nations, the Indian Act and the Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act apply.

If you live in a family home on a reserve held by Lennox Island First Nation, the Lennox Island First Nations Matrimonial Real Property Law applies.

If there is conflict about the use of the family home on reserve, mediation is one option to help solve the conflict. There are community resources you may access without taking legal action. Your band council is a good resource to find out more about community resources.