Virtually every UK workplace will employ both victim-survivors and perpetrators of domestic abuse. Employers across the country have made great strides in rolling out support for victim-survivors. However, many employers express a lack of confidence in addressing employees who are perpetrators of domestic abuse.
EIDA is therefore launching a campaign to equip employers with more tools and knowledge to address perpetrators, as part of their workplace response to domestic abuse. We are very pleased to be partnering with Respect, the UK’s leading charity stopping perpetrators of domestic abuse, on this campaign.
Over the coming months, we will share resources and communications (via our newsletter, resource library, LinkedIn, and YouTube) on addressing perpetrators. If your organisation is not yet an EIDA member, you can join for free here.
Why is taking action on perpetrators of domestic abuse a workplace issue?
Domestic abuse can have devastating impacts on those affected, including children. We spend a third of our lives at work, and workplaces can play a crucial role in supporting victim-survivors to access help, and to hold perpetrators accountable for changing their behaviour. Many perpetrators of domestic abuse use workplace property, including mobiles, laptops, workplace systems, and vehicles, as tools to control their victim-survivors. This creates a real risk for the employer as well as the person being harmed.
The vast majority of domestic abuse perpetrators will never come into contact with the criminal justice system. While employers cannot replace the justice system, they remain a crucial avenue for holding people to account. Employers can do this by raising awareness of abusive behaviours, signposting those who abuse to behaviour change programmes, and making it clear to all employees that domestic abuse is never acceptable.
The goal of every perpetrator intervention is to keep victim-survivors safe, and addressing perpetrator employees requires careful adherence to safeguarding principles. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but by having essential awareness and procedures in place, employers can approach each situation with the right tools to help protect those at risk – including the organisation itself.
What is the Government doing to help employers address perpetrators?
“The relentless pursuit of perpetrators” is the second key pillar of the government’s Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy, which sets out the overarching aims and objectives to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. Employers are named as vital partners in the whole-of-society approach to domestic abuse throughout the strategy, which includes holding perpetrators to account.
The government’s action plan includes a commitment to consult with regulators and professional bodies in key sectors to make clear that domestic abuse perpetration impacts an individual’s fitness to practice, reflecting one of EIDA’s concrete recommendations for the Strategy. Thus, employers in regulated sectors can expect new guidance on domestic abuse affecting employees’ professional accreditation in the future.
Questions about the campaign, or want to contribute an employer case study of your workplace response to perpetrators? Contact us here.
