Domestic abuse is a workplace issue!

Domestic abuse is a workplace issue with very serious and practical considerations for employers. Statutory guidance for the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 passes on a duty of care to Employers to safeguard their staff from domestic abuse (DA) because even when DA happens outside of the workplace, it has a huge impact on an individual’s working life and can result in unexplained absences, lateness and poor performance.

Research by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in 2020 confirms that domestic abuse often follows individuals into the workplace:

• Over one in ten of those who experience domestic abuse report that the abuse continues in the workplace

• In the majority of instances (81 per cent) this is through harassing or abusive emails or phone calls

• For nearly half (47 per cent) domestic abuse at work took the form of their partner turning up at their workplace or stalking them outside their workplace

• For 16 per cent of those who had experienced domestic violence, their abusive partner worked in the same place of work as them

Employers are well placed to spot the signs in colleagues and provide support, yet very few professionals know what questions to ask or how to respond. That is why Lighthouse is promoting their ‘the impact of domestic abuse in the workplace’ training course to all employers in the region. We have recently delivered the training to AXA, Adnams Brewery, Welcome Sanger Institute and Ipswich Borough Council and have received excellent feedback.

This interactive, 2 hour training course will challenge some of the myths around domestic abuse and its causes, discuss the impact of the 2021 statutory guidance that places a duty of care on Employers and look at what organisations can do/are doing to safeguard their employees now that remote working has become the new norm.

The session will also cover:

• How to spot signs that a person may be experiencing domestic abuse

• How to respond to disclosures

• Discuss how the organisation can contribute to safety planning

• Signposting for support and how Lighthouse adds value to organisations in Suffolk

Please contact our Trainer, Debra Gingell for an informal chat on how Lighthouse can support your organisation on debra.gingell@lighthousewa.org.uk or 07895 800759

What organisations say about out training!

The Wellcome Sanger Institute has valued working with Lighthouse to develop internal guidance and support for employees who may be affected by domestic abuse. Lighthouse has delivered some thoughtful and expert training to our community including a bespoke approach for our leaders and managers wo now feel confident to spot signs, and signpost people to dedicated support channels. We believe that the guidance and training will go a long way to support and encourage any staff member who needs support to step forward. The feedback from staff has been excellent and as an organisation, we endorse the work Lighthouse is doing to raise awareness of domestic abuse and workplace responsibilities to provide visible and dedicated support to their employees. SA, 2023.

“Thank you so much to Debra & the Lighthouse Organisation, you kindly delivered two sessions on Domestic Abuse in the workplace to our staff and our managers at Axa. The sessions were handled with care both before & after, I really appreciated that we had met and gone through what would be covered before as this was just as informative to the potential impact that the sessions could have. As a people manager myself, I felt it was really beneficial and gave me the confidence in what we are doing but also what else we can do as individuals and as a business in the future to continuously remain doing the best that we can. We all really learnt a lot and I have never had such positive feedback straight after a session that’s been hosted” VB, 2023.

Lighthouse provides specialist training for frontline practitioners, delivered by frontline practitioners:

Why train with us?

- Expert knowledge delivered by frontline practitioners

- Increased confidence in recognising abuse, managing disclosures of abuse and where to signpost

- Sustainable engagement from service users due to increased staff understanding

- Bespoke packages offered

Training courses for frontline practitioners:

Domestic Abuse Awareness

An interactive 2 hour training session that takes an in depth look into domestic abuse and the different dynamics prevalent in abusive relationships. We will explore physical, emotional, psychological, economic and sexual abuse. We will also highlight the use of coercive control within abusive relationships which creates an invisible prison around the victim.

Other topics that will be included are:

- Impacts of domestic abuse

- Key information in the Domestic Abuse Act

- Stalking and harassment

- Signs to look out for

- How to respond to disclosures of abuse

- The complexities of domestic abuse and why it is so difficult to break free from abuse

- Available support services

Trauma Informed Practice

An interactive 2 hour training session that takes an in depth look into:

- Definition and causes of trauma

- Physical and psychological impacts of trauma

- Challenges of working with people who have experienced trauma

- Effective ways of working with people who have experienced trauma

- Exploration of PTSD, complex PTSD and trauma bonding

- Vicarious trauma and protective measures

Our Trainers:

Katy has been working in the domestic abuse arena for over 8 years. During this time she has worked in domestic abuse refuges, crisis intervention, domestic abuse advice and the creation and delivery of therapeutic programmes for all age groups.

Rachel has been working in the domestic abuse sector for 4 years. This has included working as an IDVA, in domestic abuse refuges, in crisis intervention and the delivery of therapeutic programmes. Previous to this, she worked with victims of human trafficking. This involved working within a safe house and delivering aftercare programmes in London.

Lighthouse works with organisations to deliver bespoke training

For many of those experiencing domestic abuse, the workplace can be a place of safety and respite and a place where they can make arrangements and contact specialist services. Accessing and remaining in work is vital to securing an income and protecting their economic independence as well as making social connections and maintaining their health and well-being.

We offer bespoke training packages via in-house training/workshops for organisations to raise their awareness of domestic abuse and support the implementation of policies and procedures. Our training is engaging, challenging and relevant.

The workshops are tailored to the individual needs of organisations which we develop in collaboration with you to meet your learning requirements.

Please contact our Trainer, Debra Gingell for an informal chat on how Lighthouse can support your organisation on debra.gingell@lighthousewa.org.uk or 07895 800759

What organisations say about out training!

The Wellcome Sanger Institute has valued working with Lighthouse to develop internal guidance and support for employees who may be affected by domestic abuse. Lighthouse has delivered some thoughtful and expert training to our community including a bespoke approach for our leaders and managers wo now feel confident to spot signs, and signpost people to dedicated support channels. We believe that the guidance and training will go a long way to support and encourage any staff member who needs support to step forward. The feedback from staff has been excellent and as an organisation, we endorse the work Lighthouse is doing to raise awareness of domestic abuse and workplace responsibilities to provide visible and dedicated support to their employees. SA, 2023.

“Thank you so much to Debra & the Lighthouse Organisation, you kindly delivered two sessions on Domestic Abuse in the workplace to our staff and our managers at Axa. The sessions were handled with care both before & after, I really appreciated that we had met and gone through what would be covered before as this was just as informative to the potential impact that the sessions could have. As a people manager myself I felt it was really beneficial and gave me the confidence in what we are doing but also what else we can do as individuals and as a business in the future to continuously remain doing the best that we can. We all really learnt a lot and I have never had such positive feedback straight after a session that’s been hosted” VB, 2023.

The Expect Respect Healthy Relationships Toolkit

Expect Respect is a prevention toolkit of sessions around healthy relationships for children and young people aged 4-18. It contains age-appropriate activities that can be used in a range of spaces

Each session in the toolkit is designed to be active, fun and engaging, but also challenging. Whilst not all of the session plans raise domestic abuse directly, they have been written using themes found to be effective in tackling domestic abuse, such as:

• Challenging assumptions about gender, power and equality.

• Changing beliefs and attitudes about men and women.

• Managing feelings and accepting responsibility for one’s own feeling and behaviours.

• Helping to resolve conflict.

• Knowing the difference between abusive and non-abusive relationships.

• Understanding our digital footprints.

• Promoting the consistent message that abuse is not acceptable.

• Understanding that domestic abuse is a crime.

• Highlighting the role of peers in providing support.

• Understanding consent online and offline.

• Being aware of red flags in early relationships.

• Giving information about where to get help.

Each session will run for 45 minutes – maximum 1 hour.

Why should Expect Respect be delivered in schools?

The need for education and prevention is vital.

Children are impacted greatly by violence that is happening in the home with 1 in 5 children being exposed to domestic abuse.

Young women aged between 18 and 24 are the most likely to be victims of domestic abuse often due to engaging in first relationships, and not knowing or understanding what makes a healthy relationship or understanding how to get out of a relationship once it becomes abusive.

But also, girls are often experiencing various forms of abuse and misogyny during their experience in and out of school at a much earlier age, which perpetuate certain stereotypes and ideas of what is acceptable, even when it is harmful.

What Lighthouse can offer

Lighthouse Women’s Aid is a Suffolk based charity which has over 46 year’s experience of working with women, young people and children who have experienced domestic abuse.

We Can Offer Suffolk Schools:

• Facilitators who are able to deliver Expect Respect, working alongside teachers to introduce and embed healthy relationships into their curriculum and school ethos

• On-going support and advice to help resolve the concerns of young people who may be experiencing unhealthy relationships or have been affected by them

• Support for school staff to safeguard the welfare of their students and themselves