This year the theme for Safeguarding Adults Week is ‘Creating Safer Cultures’ and along with our Safer Culture North East Partnership training and awareness raising sessions for the North East VCSE sector, VONNE has also recently adopted a new Domestic Abuse policy.
As part of being a responsible employer, creating a safe and supportive working environment, and making it clear that domestic abuse should not be tolerated, VONNE has taken this action to provide a clear policy and practical steps that can be followed if needed.
- One in four women, and one in six men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime.
- Two women are killed by a partner, or ex-partner every week in England and Wales
- Police receive 100 calls an hour relating to domestic abuse.
These statistics represent individuals, with lives and livelihoods, who work in organisations where support could be made available.
In writing our policy, we used the tools and resources available through the Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse and, as they state:
“When employers demonstrate that they are aware of domestic abuse and make staff aware of the services that are available, this can help to reduce the wall of silence about domestic abuse that prevents many from seeking help.”
We’re making this policy available in case it’s of help to any other organisations looking to create a safer working culture for all.