– By Iwette Rapoport, Founder of Change Collective
Domestic abuse rarely arrives at work as a clear disclosure. It is more likely to appear indirectly through changes in behaviour, attendance, capacity, or team dynamics. A domestic abuse case is often handled very differently depending on which manager notices it, how confident they feel to respond, and whether the organisation gives them a guidance for what to do next. It is therefore important for employers to create a clear structure for noticing concerns, deciding what happens next, and following up more consistently over time,
Employers are increasingly expected to respond to domestic abuse as part of their duty of care, but the warning signs don’t always appear in obvious ways, such as frequent, unexplained injuries. More often, what shows up at work is silence, absences, reduced capacity or performance, changes in behaviour, rising tension, or a manager who senses that something is wrong – but does not know what to do next. That gap between concern and action is not abstract to me. I know it both professionally and personally.
I have lived experience of domestic abuse – I was in an abusive relationship for several years. After the relationship ended, I came to see how fragile the support system around me really was. The struggle was not only to leave, with very little left financially and socially, but also to protect my child within a Swedish legal framework that many survivors of domestic abuse know all too well. That experience also taught me that what often looks like an individual crisis is also a systemic problem: people may care, but support is uneven, delayed, or too dependent on what one person happens to notice or do. That is part of what led me to found Change Collective.
Ten years ago, we began by helping employers understand how domestic abuse affects a person’s ability to perform at work, and why companies need to see and act earlier. Over the years I saw a recurring pattern across organisations: strong organisational engagement in the moment, but difficulty sustaining action over time.
What was missing was a clear structure for earlier action.
GATE is a structured system that helps organisations notice signs of strain earlier, respond more consistently, and support managers when they realise that something is wrong, but the next step is unclear. Employers access GATE through a guided digital workspace portal that brings together:
- short assessments
- practical resources
- review tasks
- reporting templates
- risk briefs
- and a specialised governance support agent
Together, these help managers and HR review concerns, understand what kind of response is appropriate, and decide on the next step, handle the issue internally, involve HR, bring in specialist support, or escalate to external services. GATE does not replace human judgment. It structures the decision so that early signals are not left to individual uncertainty or an ad hoc response. In the context of domestic abuse, having a consistent approach matters because concerns often surface indirectly and responses can vary widely depending on who notices them and what they do next.
GATE helps organisations respond more consistently by providing:
- Earlier visibility when domestic abuse may be affecting work, wellbeing, or capacity.
- More consistent handling when managers respond differently to the same kind of concern.
- Clearer next steps when something feels wrong but the right response is unclear.
- Stronger follow-up, so concerns are less likely to be missed, delayed, or left with one individual alone.
- A more practical way to connect duty of care with everyday management and support.
Organisations can access this short pre-assessment connected to GATE. It takes around two-three minutes and gives a preliminary indication of where managers may need clearer support when early signals of concern, pressure or other problems begin to appear.
In practice, that means less reliance on individual manager confidence, and a more consistent organisational response when concerns arise.
The next step after awareness is not more information, but a practical system that helps organisations detect problems earlier, support managers better, and respond more consistently.
Knowing about early signs matters. Knowing what to do next might change someone’s life.
Iwette Rapoport
Change Collective/GATE ™️
+46 10 160 2727
Direct: +46 70 797 7898
