PlanetSafe, a program that allows parents from abusive situations and their children to have extra security when they participate in visitation and child exchanges, opened its doors in May.
"We know that after people separate or separate from a violent relationship, we know that violence doesn't stop, it continues, so when they're trying to meet their kids the kids become a tool for manipulation and/or they meet somewhere where parents get in more fights," PlanetSafe manager Zandra Hinojosa said. "Our program is designed to keep survivors safe but allow a space for the noncustodial parent or the abuser to see their children."
PlanetSafe is a collaborative project between Travis County and SafePlace, an organization aiming to end domestic and sexual violence, that has been in the works for more than four years. The program is funded through a Safe Havens grant from the Office on Violence Against Women, an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Hinojosa said without a service like PlanetSafe, parents who have been abused have a difficult time balancing their own safety while still complying with visitation and exchange orders.
