Joint presentation on Domestic Violence in the workplace with the Director of the Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence

1. Preventing and Responding
to Domestic Abuse in
Workplaces:
The 16 Days of Action Toolkit
Dr Justin Varney, National Lead for Adult Health & Wellbeing
Public Health England justin.varney@phe.gov.uk
Melissa Morbeck, Executive Director
Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence melissa@caadv.org.uk

2. Public Health England
 National Executive Agency supported by the Department of Health
 Our mission is to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and
reduce health inequalities.
 About 5,300 staff working across over 100 locations in the UK, ranging from
technical laboratories to office spaces.
 We work with the public health system in England, particularly with Local
Government and NHS England, to improve the health of the population.
 Emphasis on a life course approach and tackling inequalities.
2 Preventing and Responding to Domestic Abuse in Workplaces: The 16 Days of Action Toolkit

3. Wider Work on Domestic Violence
 The Intervention Initiative developed by University of West of England to
support universities in England to implement an evidence-based bystander
intervention programme to prevent intimate partner violence.
 Faith Action toolkit for Faith Leaders, building on the AVA resource,
providing case studies and lived experience reflections on how faith leaders
can better respond to members of their congregation experiencing or
perpetrating DV.
 AVA E-learning for Healthcare professionals, supporting the
implementation of the NICE guidance through a free e-learning resource for
healthcare professionals.
 Report on Domestic Violence and Disability due to publish in Autumn
2015 to draw together and highlight the existing evidence base.
 Podcast series of talks on DV and PHE blogs to raise profile of the issue.
3 Preventing and Responding to Domestic Abuse in Workplaces: The 16 Days of Action Toolkit

4. 16 Days of Action Toolkit
www.16daysofaction.co.uk
‘It has made all of the difference in my business taking the
first step – and working with the Alliance’ site visitor - 2015

5. Setting the context
 Domestic violence is a significant cause of mental and physical ill health. An
estimated 68% of people enduring DV present with clinical depression.
 The majority of adults are in work, so the workplace is a key space for
improving adult health and wellbeing.
 Work may be one of the spaces where perpetrators and people enduring
violence are separate, and therefore is an important space to enable access
to support and advice.
 Domestic violence is likely to impact on an individual’s
performance/productivity so there is a business imperative for action.
 In 2011, 1/3rd of Domestic homicide occurred in a workplace. Domestic
homicide when it affects a member of staff is a significant impact on the
business and the workplace culture and can create corporate reputational
risk.
5 Preventing and Responding to Domestic Abuse in Workplaces: The 16 Days of Action Toolkit

6. Commissioning the toolkit
 Recognition that 16 Days of Action was under-developed as a
campaign/tool for engaging business in England
 Commissioned in 2014/15 as an extension to PHE’s membership of The
Alliance, developed by Latimer (Alliance member)
 Commissioned an on-line toolkit/resource to raise the awareness of DV
issues in the workplace, provide some resources to support local action and
prompt business to engage with the issue.
 Launched in November 2014.
6 Preventing and Responding to Domestic Abuse in Workplaces: The 16 Days of Action Toolkit

7. Toolkit Content
 Awareness information
 Briefings
 Posters
 Template tweets
 Videos
 Podcast
 Blogs
 Prompt to sign the Pledge
7 Preventing and Responding to Domestic Abuse in Workplaces: The 16 Days of Action Toolkit

8. 8

9. 9 Adults and Older People's Wellbeing

10. 10

11. 11 Adults and Older People's Wellbeing

12. Activity to date
• Over 5,400 unique visitors to the website
• Average time on site is over 2 minutes for over 80% of visitors
• Majority of activity is from UK, with some from USA and Russia
• Primary referral pathway is through twitter
• Most popular pages after landing are the communication and briefing pages
12 Preventing and Responding to Domestic Abuse in Workplaces: The 16 Days of Action Toolkit

13. 13 Adults and Older People's Wellbeing

14. 14 Adults and Older People's Wellbeing

15. Challenges
 Feedback to date has been overwhelmingly positive
 Limited translation of visits into measurable action
 On-going challenges
 Promotion of the toolkit
 Politics across the sectors
 Maintaining momentum
15 Preventing and Responding to Domestic Abuse in Workplaces: The 16 Days of Action Toolkit

16. Working with Business: The Alliance
75% of people who endure violence are targeted at work
56% of women impacted will miss 3 days a month of work
Cost to business is estimated at over £1.9 billion

17. The CorporateAllianceAgainst Domestic
Violence: ‘TheAlliance’
Founded in 2005 aimed at holistic response to civil society addressing dv
Vision work with every employer, providing practical and sector relevant tools
and resources in a business-to-business platform in relation to the issues of
addressing domestic abuse
Small staff team and passionate and engaged Board.
Members include Council of Europe, UN Women, Google, Sodexo, NHS
England, Department of Health, KPMG
17 Preventing and Responding to Domestic Abuse in Workplaces: The 16 Days of Action Toolkit

18. The CorporateAllianceAgainst Domestic
Violence: ‘TheAlliance’
 50 member employers reaching over 5,000,000 employees
 Accredited training to over 10,000 employees, not to be counsellors but to
identify the warning signs and take action.
 To date in 2015 CAADV specialist staff have worked directly with 87
employees – all employees safe, in work and their families safe
 ComRes Research commissioned in 2011 indicated that 87% of employers
want to address the needs of employees who endure domestic abuse and
violence yet does not know how
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19. TheAlliance model
Membership model: 3 phases
 Associates
Newsletter
Self-assessment
 Developing and delivery
Deep dive gap analysis and policy review
Relationship between 1-3yrs supporting delivery and closing the gap
Targeted and tailored training and support
 Working towards excellence
Building best practice
Developing innovation
On-going support
19 Preventing and Responding to Domestic Abuse in Workplaces: The 16 Days of Action Toolkit

20. Learning so far
 Reasonable appetite for action in business sector
 Financial restraint affects all sectors, remains an optional investment area
 Long lead in time from initial contact to significant action
 Response and support requires significant bespoke tailoring
 Important opportunity to signpost to national and local services but
recognition that these services are facing austerity
 Individual employee HR support is an important adjunct to local DV service
offer, not a replacement
 Primary referral route is by word of mouth and reputation business to
business, less from DV sector
20 Preventing and Responding to Domestic Abuse in Workplaces: The 16 Days of Action Toolkit

21. Preventing and Responding
to Domestic Abuse in
Workplaces:
The 16 Days of Action Toolkit
Dr Justin Varney, National Lead for Adult Health & Wellbeing
Public Health England justin.varney@phe.gov.uk
Melissa Morbeck, Executive Director
Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence melissa@caadv.org.uk