KNOWLEDGE BRIEFING
Basic Awareness on Domestic Violence and Abuse
Head of Learning and Employee DevelopmentLearning and Development Specialist
Kathleen Collier Jas Bracknall
Trigger warning
Please be aware that this briefing will cover the topics of trauma and domestic abuse
We ask that you bear in mind your own wellbeing
If you need further support, please contact BCWA on 0121 553 0090
Why is this important at work?
A UK gov call for evidence found that:
"This can happen to anyone at any level or role within an
organisation, including contracted staff, managers, board members and CEOs."
Emma's Story
Domestic abuse frequently extends into work itself, with different surveys showing that
between 36% to 75% of employed victims are harassed by abusive partners while at work.
The economic and social costs of domestic abuse
Read the TUC Research here
DA Act 2021 Definition
First legal, cross-departmental definition of domestic abuse in the UK
Behaviour of a person "A"
towards another person "B" is domestic abuse if:
?!&$!!
16+
Both aged 16+
Personally connected
?!&$!!
The behavior is abusive
16+
16+
DA Act 2021 Definition
They are or have been married/civil partners of each other
What does personally connected mean?
They have agreed to marry one another/ entered civil partnership agreement (whether or not the agreement has been terminated)
According to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, two people are personally connected if any of the following applies:
They each have, or there has been a time when they each have had, a parental relationship with the same child
They are, or have been, in an intimate personal relationship with each other
They are relatives
DA Bill 2021 Definition
What does abusive mean?
- Making threats to kill or seriously harm the victim and/or their children
- Violence towards children or other family members
- Making threats to end their own life or self-harm
- Threatening to report the victim to the police or other authorities and convincing them this is justified/they will be believed
- Threatening to reveal or publish private information such as to work colleagues or the workplace
- Threatening to tell lies to their boss and/or co-workers.
- Threatening to come to the workplace and harm a partner and/or co-workers
- Threatening to destroy needed work clothing or work equipment
Violent or threatening behaviour
DA Bill 2021 Definition
What does abusive mean?
- Hitting, slapping, punching or kicking
- Pushing, shoving, grabbing, biting
- Burning
- Strangulation, choking, suffocation
- Denying medical care or medication
- Coercing the victim into substance misuse, drugging or poisoning
- Sabotaging birth control or coercing the victim to have unprotected sex
- Rape or other unwanted sexual activity
- Unwanted sexting or use of derogatory language towards the victim
- Pursuing sexual activity when the victim is not fully conscious, intoxicated or too afraid to say no
- Sharing or threatening to share intimate content without permission
Physical or sexual abuse
DA Bill 2021 Definition
What does abusive mean?
- Enforcing unrealistic rules that the victim must follow such as that they must be back for a certain time, have a certain task done, make contact on a schedule
- Insisting that it is the sole responsibility of a partner to organize their work schedule around child care, elder care or other family responsibilities
- Extreme jealousy which may be focused on work colleagues
- Isolating the person from friends and family- stopping them from getting to work, being involved in work social activities
- Forcing the victim to take part in criminal activity to prevent disclosure to authorities- this can involve workplace criminal activity such as fraud
- Failing to show up for child care so that a partner can't go to work
Controlling or coercive behaviour
DA Bill 2021 Definition
What does abusive mean?
- Taking all or part of the victim's earnings
- Preventing access to education/training opportunities that would increase earning potential
- Putting debt in the victim's name
- Spending the victim's money without consent or coercing them into giving out money
- Monitoring the victim's expenditure
- Denying the victim access to their own money- this may stop them being able to travel to work, pay internet bills for working from home etc
Economic abuse
Listen to Sinem's story in full here
DA Bill 2021 Definition
What does abusive mean?
- Abusive phone calls, emails, text messages at work.
- Telling a partner that they are incompetent in their job.
- Telling a partner that they do not deserve or will never get a raise and/or a promotion.
- Acting like a supportive spouse around bosses and/or co-workers
- Denying responsibility for a partner being late or absent at work as a result of abuse
- Checking up on a partner to make sure they are at work or to see who they are working with
- Stalking a partner at work.
Psychological, emotional or other abuse
Leaving doesn't equal safety
Emma's Story
Listen to Emma's story in full here
What to look for?
CHANGES
Attendance
Performance
Remote/Hybrid
Physical
Behaviour
Not participating in calls or online meetings, or on mute/video off for prolonged periods Called away or interrupted by a partner when on the phone or in an online meeting Changes in work performance or work quality May be withdrawn or distracted
Unexplained changes to start times or being late for meetings, online or in person Wanting to change working hours for no reason, needing to leave work early Frequent unexplained absence from work/ increase in sick leave Spending an unusual number of hours at work for no particular reason.
The quality of work has deteriorated – performance targets and deadlines are missed and mistakes are made. Work quality affected by frequent text messages, emails, phone calls and/or visits to work by their partner Avoidance of phone calls and signs of distress or anxiety when a text or phone message is received
Visible bruising or injuries with unlikely explanations Changes in clothing, such as wearing long sleeves to hide injuries.
Changes in appearance, e.g., in the use and pattern of make-up Tiredness and irritability Substance use/misuse
Changes in behaviour – becoming quiet, anxious, frightened, aggressive, distracted or depressed. Becoming isolated from colleagues Secrecy about home life and relationships Fear about leaving children at home and not leaving work on time.
What to do
Create the right environment
72%
of survivors said their workplace provided them with a feeling of safety compared to their home
Read Vodafone's research here
What to do
Be open and show curiosity- it's okay to ask
Respond with validation and empathy
Read TUC research here
What to do
Direct them to support, internally and externally
Sinem's Story
Read TUC research here
Listen to Sinem's story in full here
Our services
Children's Service
Domestic Abuse Community Service
Rape & Sexual Violence Service
Stalking Support Service
Ask Marc
- Flourishing Futures is a domestic abuse service in Sandwell, Dudley & Walsall for children aged 5-16
- To make a referral, mums must be open to our domestic abuse services
- Our Future is a domestic abuse support service for children in primary schools in Wolverhampton
- Only schools in this area can refer
- Specialist Male Abuse Advocates (MAAs) support men subjected to domestic abuse, stalking, rape & sexual violence
- There is separate Ask Marc branding & a specific website so that men can easily access information about the service
- Specialist Independent Stalking Advocacy Case Workers (ISACs) cover Sandwell, Dudley Walsall, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Solihull & Coventry
- The team uses the Stalker Risk Profile & the SASH risk assessment to assess risk and stalker motivation
- The service supports women, men & children
- Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) cover Sandwell, Walsall, Dudley & Wolverhampton
- We have specialist ISVAs for children & young people (CHISVAs) & adults with historic childhood sexual abuse
- Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) support high risk clients in Sandwell, Dudley & Walsall
- Domestic Abuse Advocates (DAAs) are based in Sandwell & Walsall
- We have specialist workers supporting GP practices (IRIS), MASH, Family Services, A&E & Court
Our services
Therapeutic & Wellbeing Services
Modern Slavery Accommodation Service
Domestic Abuse Accommodation Services
Modern Slavery Support Service
Women's Justice Services
- Women's Specialist Criminal Justice Practitioners support female offenders in Birmingham, Sandwell & Dudley as part of probation requirements to address abuse & offending & develop confidence
- Women's Justice Workers support women facing homelessness in the Black Country & women in Sandwell & Dudley referred by the police after committing an offence
- We have multiple units of accommodation in Sandwell consisting of purpose built blocks of flats and dispersed properties
- Domestic Abuse Intervention Support Workers (DAISWs) provide one to one emotional & practical support to residents
- Specialist support is offered to children & families
- Safe house accommodation is available to victims of modern slavery & human trafficking who have been referred into the National Referral Mechanism
- Modern Slavery Safehouse Advocates provide emotional and practical support to residents
- Modern Slavery Advocates provide support to victims of human trafficking who have been referred into the National Referral Mechanism
- Referrals come from the Salvation Army
- Tailored outreach support is available to men and women in the West Midlands area
- The service accepts internal referrals for counselling support in relation to sexual violence & abuse
- Counselling support is available to men, women & children in Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall & Wolverhampton
- Counsellors are trained to deliver specialist trauma support for victims of abuse
How to contact us
All referrals, including self-referrals can be made via:
Telephone: 0121 553 0090 (24 hours) Text/Whatsapp: 07384 466 181 (9am-9pm weekdays) Webchat: (see our website for details)
For general enquiries (not referrals):
Email: info@blackcountrywomensaid.co.uk
Q&A
general - EMPLOYERS: Basic Awareness on Domestic Violence and Abuse
Black Country Women'
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Transcript
KNOWLEDGE BRIEFING
Basic Awareness on Domestic Violence and Abuse
Head of Learning and Employee DevelopmentLearning and Development Specialist
Kathleen Collier Jas Bracknall
Trigger warning
Please be aware that this briefing will cover the topics of trauma and domestic abuse
We ask that you bear in mind your own wellbeing
If you need further support, please contact BCWA on 0121 553 0090
Why is this important at work?
A UK gov call for evidence found that:
"This can happen to anyone at any level or role within an organisation, including contracted staff, managers, board members and CEOs."
Emma's Story
Domestic abuse frequently extends into work itself, with different surveys showing that between 36% to 75% of employed victims are harassed by abusive partners while at work.
The economic and social costs of domestic abuse
Read the TUC Research here
DA Act 2021 Definition
First legal, cross-departmental definition of domestic abuse in the UK
Behaviour of a person "A"
towards another person "B" is domestic abuse if:
?!&$!!
16+
Both aged 16+
Personally connected
?!&$!!
The behavior is abusive
16+
16+
DA Act 2021 Definition
They are or have been married/civil partners of each other
What does personally connected mean?
They have agreed to marry one another/ entered civil partnership agreement (whether or not the agreement has been terminated)
According to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, two people are personally connected if any of the following applies:
They each have, or there has been a time when they each have had, a parental relationship with the same child
They are, or have been, in an intimate personal relationship with each other
They are relatives
DA Bill 2021 Definition
What does abusive mean?
Violent or threatening behaviour
DA Bill 2021 Definition
What does abusive mean?
Physical or sexual abuse
DA Bill 2021 Definition
What does abusive mean?
Controlling or coercive behaviour
DA Bill 2021 Definition
What does abusive mean?
Economic abuse
Listen to Sinem's story in full here
DA Bill 2021 Definition
What does abusive mean?
Psychological, emotional or other abuse
Leaving doesn't equal safety
Emma's Story
Listen to Emma's story in full here
What to look for?
CHANGES
Attendance
Performance
Remote/Hybrid
Physical
Behaviour
Not participating in calls or online meetings, or on mute/video off for prolonged periods Called away or interrupted by a partner when on the phone or in an online meeting Changes in work performance or work quality May be withdrawn or distracted
Unexplained changes to start times or being late for meetings, online or in person Wanting to change working hours for no reason, needing to leave work early Frequent unexplained absence from work/ increase in sick leave Spending an unusual number of hours at work for no particular reason.
The quality of work has deteriorated – performance targets and deadlines are missed and mistakes are made. Work quality affected by frequent text messages, emails, phone calls and/or visits to work by their partner Avoidance of phone calls and signs of distress or anxiety when a text or phone message is received
Visible bruising or injuries with unlikely explanations Changes in clothing, such as wearing long sleeves to hide injuries. Changes in appearance, e.g., in the use and pattern of make-up Tiredness and irritability Substance use/misuse
Changes in behaviour – becoming quiet, anxious, frightened, aggressive, distracted or depressed. Becoming isolated from colleagues Secrecy about home life and relationships Fear about leaving children at home and not leaving work on time.
What to do
Create the right environment
72%
of survivors said their workplace provided them with a feeling of safety compared to their home
Read Vodafone's research here
What to do
Be open and show curiosity- it's okay to ask
Respond with validation and empathy
Read TUC research here
What to do
Direct them to support, internally and externally
Sinem's Story
Read TUC research here
Listen to Sinem's story in full here
Our services
Children's Service
Domestic Abuse Community Service
Rape & Sexual Violence Service
Stalking Support Service
Ask Marc
Our services
Therapeutic & Wellbeing Services
Modern Slavery Accommodation Service
Domestic Abuse Accommodation Services
Modern Slavery Support Service
Women's Justice Services
How to contact us
All referrals, including self-referrals can be made via:
Telephone: 0121 553 0090 (24 hours) Text/Whatsapp: 07384 466 181 (9am-9pm weekdays) Webchat: (see our website for details)
For general enquiries (not referrals):
Email: info@blackcountrywomensaid.co.uk
Q&A