Building Safety

It is your decision whether or not to stay with your partner. Your first consideration should be safety for you and your children. We encourage you to get support for yourself, if it is safe to do so, through your local domestic violence program. In Massachusetts, you can call the state hotline at 1-877-785-2020 to get information on various resources.

Emerge attempts to make contact with you to assess how we can help you (and your children) become safer and how we can best work with your partner. We will attempt to contact you at least three times: as soon as possible after your partner joins the program, while they are in the Second Stage Group, and when they leave Emerge. We do not tell your partner anything you say to us. In addition to our calls to you, you are also free to contact us any time for an update on your partner's participation here. Remember that you are the best judge of your abuser's progress.

The group members are told not to discuss this partner contact with you in any way, except to tell you that we will be calling. Your partner should not try to influence what you tell us, or to ask you questions afterwards. They should not to be present while we talk to you. Your partner is free to discuss Emerge meetings if you wish to discuss them, but keep in mind that abusers are not always honest and may distort information form their group sessions. For more information on these contacts CLICK HERE.

While your partner attends Emerge, it is not your responsibility to give emotional or financial support to your partner. In fact, while in the Emerge program, group members must take care of themselves as part of taking responsibility for the abuse. You have the right to limit or eliminate contact for any length of time if you choose to do so. Emerge will respect any decisions you make about your relationship.