Recognising and Responding to Domestic Violence and Abuse in the Workplace
In 2023, the Government of Ireland introduced a legal requirement for employers to offer up to five days of paid leave over a period of 12 months to employees affected by domestic violence. In order to give meaningful effect to the legislation, it is recommended that employers embed domestic violence leave within a wider organisational response to domestic abuse. Training on the issue is pivotal to ensuring the workplace response is safe and effective.
Domestic violence and abuse has traditionally been considered a private family matter but businesses and organisations are increasingly becoming aware that it is an issue which directly impacts employees’ participation at work and the workplace itself. High prevalence of the issue means the cost of domestic abuse to companies can be considerable.
Women’s Aid’s half day online training programme is focused on recognising and responding to domestic abuse. This training is designed for key staff members of small organisations which are developing their workplace response to domestic abuse. Places are reserved for representatives of organisations with fewer than 150 employees.
Completing this training is just one aspect of the development of a wider organisational practice of responding to domestic violence and abuse. The training session will therefore conclude with recommendations and resources for the next steps participants can take to establish or improve their workplace response to domestic violence and abuse using the 3 Rs – Recognise, Respond, and Refer.
IMPORTANT: Places on this training are reserved for representatives of organisations with fewer than 150 employees. Women’s Aid can only accommodate two people from the same organisation.
Recommended participants are:
Those with a responsibility to open up the conversation or respond to disclosures of domestic abuse in the workplace (e.g. people managers, HR representatives, small business owners, workplace ‘champions’ of the issue, etc.)
Senior leaders, who are responsible for setting the tone regarding their organisation’s response to domestic abuse and approving related policy provisions
Training is delivered on Zoom. Each participant must have access to a private space, a good internet connection, a computer, or another device to take part in the training.
The training is framed around the 3 Rs – Recognise, Respond, and Refer.
Recognise – Dynamics of domestic abuse, Forms and tactics of abuse used by the perpetrator and the intention behind them, Impacts on the victim/survivor and their coping mechanisms & Indicators that may alert us a woman is experiencing domestic abuse.
Respond – Learn victim-centred principles which should guide your response, Understand the barriers facing victim/survivors in seeking and accessing support, Learn how to safely support a disclosure
Refer – Increase knowledge about referral options to specialist domestic abuse services and what they can offer
Women’s Aid is a national, feminist organisation working to prevent and address the impact of domestic violence and abuse since 1974.
