Domestic abuse in the workplace

In any one year, more than 20% of employed women are experiencing domestic abuse. This has a profound effect on productivity and sickness in the workplace.

Women’s Aid Training and Education offers in-house training to organisations, agencies and businesses to raise their awareness and support the implementation of policies and procedures.

Whether your company has a large staff team or a small staff team, all are covered by health and safety at work policy and law. Is domestic abuse covered? Have you taken into account the recent changes in the law relating to domestic abuse?

This course will ensure all staff feel safe and supported in the workplace and have a positive impact on all who attend.

“I found the training challenging, emotive, informative, and inspirational. The content of both sessions was thought-provoking, well-aimed and insightful, and I came away from the final training feeling empowered with the skills and vocabulary to have supportive conversations about Domestic Abuse with colleagues and peers.”

What does the training cover?

• The UK context relating to the workplace
• Domestic abuse and the use of coercion
• An understanding of how supporting/working alongside a survivor may impact on colleagues and managers
• Recognising the signs and symptoms of someone experiencing domestic abuse
• Supporting an employee/colleague experiencing domestic abuse in the workplace
• Asking the question and responding effectively to a disclosure
• Domestic abuse policy and procedures – the way forward
• Further resources

Who is this training suitable for?

• Organisations
• Agencies
• Businesses

This comprehensive course is available by request.

Please contact training@womensaid.org.uk to enquire.

Trainer profile:

Jacqui Kilburn

Head of Training and Education

Jacqui Kilburn manages Training and Education at Women’s Aid. She has been instrumental in the development of a national accredited qualification for those professionals whose work brings them into contact with domestic and sexual violence.

Jacqui also worked with the Home Office and Skills for Justice in their work towards developing the national occupational standards for the domestic and sexual violence sector.

Until taking up this position, Jacqui’s career for almost 20 years had been at the operational level in direct Women’s Aid services. Over the years, this work involved direct work with women and children together with the development of outreach services. Jacqui managed a city refuge service for six years during which time she had a significant involvement in training staff from many other professions on domestic violence and related issues. Her work also included undergraduate and post graduate practice teaching for social work students from two universities. Jacqui has also taught healthy relationship programmes in primary and secondary schools as part of their PSHE & SEAL.

Jacqui was then seconded by the local authority to work with the domestic violence coordinator in Hull to set up and manage a new multi-agency team encompassing a specialist police unit, Children’s and Young People’s Services, Housing, Health and Support workers. This was a particularly innovative development in that the whole team worked from a single office and was therefore able to respond in a fully co-ordinated manner to all the domestic violence incidents within the city. As part of this role Jacqui was instrumental in the setting up of the city’s MARAC process, which she also co-chaired with the police.

This initiative has now been given national recognition for their work by winning a national award – the Tilley Award which aims to highlight services that have made a difference to community safety or have reduced crime through partnership working.

Related qualifications:
• Cert Ed
• Internal Verifier for OCN

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