Texas Protective Orders: What You Need to Know

If you are considering a protective order, there are steps you should take immediately, including the following:

• Make a plan: If you have been hurt, or fear being hurt, by an intimate partner, you must have a plan of escape. If a batterer suspects that you are making plans to leave, the violence can worsen. For your own sake, and the sake of your children, gather money, copies of important documents, and the addresses and phone numbers of people who can help you if you need to leave your home immediately. If you are in a heated conversation with your partner, stay away from the kitchen and try to stay near a door.

• How the law can help: If you are in a position to fear your partner, you should investigate a protective order signed by the court. To obtain a protective order, you must have been in a domestic relationship with the person, share a home or a child, and be in fear of future violence.

• What a protective order can do: A judge can order your batterer to leave your home and stay away from you and your children. A protective order can also provide for temporary spousal support and child support and make rulings concerning child custody and parental visitation.

Do not wait to become a statistic if you or your children are being abused. Texas law requires a showing that a person has committed violence or the threat of violence against a family member in order to grant a protective order. If you know someone being battered, help the victim get assistance from Texas resources or speak to a family law attorney in Houston.