Making Domestic Abuse Your Business
UK businesses continue to take their role in tackling domestic abuse seriously amongst their employees but they still face challenges. Access to the right information, tools, guidance and resources is essential for businesses to support their workforce. Only around 5% of employers have specific domestic abuse policies or guidelines in place, but every business will have staff who are affected by it.
Employers’ Initiative on
Domestic Abuse
The Domestic Abuse Alliance is proud to be a member of the Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA). EIDA is a free-to-join members’ network of employers, supporting nearly over 25% of the UK workforce, to take effective action on domestic abuse.
To help UK businesses address the challenges of domestic abuse, we have collaborated with EIDA, The HR Dept, and Sharon Livermore from Domestic Abuse Education to co-create a FREE template policy. The associated set of guidance notes has been designed to support employers to implement a domestic abuse policy in their workplace.
These documents are informed by Sharon’s lived experience of abuse and are available for employers to download from EIDA’s website.
Every year the policy is updated and undergoes legal review, to ensure it reflects current legislation and the needs of survivors.
‘Sharon’s Policy’ calls for businesses to adopt three key measures:
Recognise – implement a domestic abuse policy in the workplace to help employers spot the signs of abuse
Respond – train line managers so they’re equipped to handle any disclosures of domestic abuse
Refer – be proactive when referring to specialist support services i.e. for legal, practical or emotional assistance
The impact of domestic abuse on UK business
Domestic abuse continues to be a major societal issue, which directly impacts businesses too. That’s why it’s in the interest of every UK employer in the UK to be aware of the issue that so many are facing, to educate themselves and to act responsibly.
Tackling domestic abuse is not just a moral imperative. The most recent Home Office figures show that £1.3 billion was spent on dealing with domestic abuse in England and Wales in 2016/17. This represents more than ten percent of the policing budget. The same research showed that lost economic output and reduced productivity resulting from domestic abuse cost the country £14 billion. This is in addition to the nearly £50 billion the Home Office estimated as the cost of physical and emotional harm.
That’s an estimated total of almost £66 billion spent each year on the repercussions of domestic abuse in England and Wales.
- £13 billion spent dealing with domestic abuse
- nearly £50 billion the Home Office estimated as the cost of physical and emotional harm
- £66 billion spent each year on the repercussions of domestic abuse
Are you Working It Out?
Colleagues and managers can often be the only other people outside the home that survivors talk to each day and are therefore uniquely placed to help spot signs of abuse and signpost employees to the right support.
We’ve joined Domestic Abuse Education and The HR Dept to launch the Working It Out campaign to help employers demonstrate their commitment to tackling domestic abuse. Make the six-step pledge today, so that your employees and business can thrive.
Sharon Livermore
Founder of Domestic Abuse Education
“When I was experiencing domestic abuse, my employer didn’t fully support me throughout the whole process – because they didn’t understand what help I needed or how to provide it. I urge all workplaces to seek the knowledge and tools they need to support anyone who needs help, and that’s what the launch of my policy is all about. It is ready made for businesses to adopt easily, to use to raise awareness among their staff, and ultimately, to help stop someone being hurt.”
Workplace Safety Plan
To find out more about Domestic Abuse Education’s training courses please click the button below:
Protecting Every Future
We have joined forces with Domestic Abuse Education and The HR Dept. to launch a new guide – “Protecting Every Future” – to help managers support employees who may be experiencing domestic abuse during pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a key moment when abuse can begin or escalate:
- 30 per cent of domestic abuse cases begin during pregnancy, and between 40-60 per cent of women experiencing abuse are abused during pregnancy (SafeLives).
- Research conducted by The For Baby’s Sake Trust highlights 40 per cent of parents who experienced domestic abuse during pregnancy, or during the first two years of their child’s life, did not feel able to seek professional help at the time. A third (33 per cent) said they did not know where to begin to look for help.
“Protecting Every Future” aims to embed domestic abuse awareness and support in workplace maternity and family-friendly policies and procedures, ensuring that pregnant employees are supported professionally and personally.
The guide contains suggested wording for workplace maternity and family-friendly policies and questions that can be included in risk assessments to help create safe opportunities for employees to disclose domestic abuse without fear of repercussions or exposure.
Embedding the principles set out in “Protecting Every Future” is a tangible action employers can take to help tackle the epidemic of domestic abuse across the UK.
With the right workplace support, employees experiencing domestic abuse can feel empowered to seek help, such as navigating the civil legal system, securing a protection order, and regaining control over their safety and future.
“Protecting Every Future” has been created with support from Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse, Refuge, and The For Baby’s Sake Trust.
For further information and to download the “Protecting Every Future” guide visit: domesticabuseeducation.co.uk.
Signposting to Legal Support
If you or anyone in your workforce is experiencing domestic abuse and requires legal support, you can make a referral to the DA Alliance for immediate legal advice and protection.
Our WEPROTECT+ service enables employers to fully support staff who are experiencing domestic abuse throughout their civil legal journey – from initial advice through to securing court protection – with all legal expenses included. WEPROTECT+ is an assurance that may help encourage disclosures within the workplace, prevent further abuse, and reduce lost output. Please contact us to discuss how we can work together to safeguard your employees.
Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant
We have taken the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC) pledge to support women affected by abuse to enter or re-enter the workplace and find sustainable employment opportunities.
