Domestic Abuse is Everybody’s Business.
One in four people will be victims of abuse at some point in their life, and with more awareness in our society we can all work together to eliminate this crime and stop the suffering of men, women and children.
On average high-risk victims live with domestic abuse for 2.3 years and medium risk victims for 3 years before getting help. 85% of victims sought help on average five times from professionals in the year before they got effective help to stop the abuse (source-Safelives).
For upcoming open training events, please visit Eventbrite
Training Communities
Tackling domestic abuse requires a whole community effort. A tragic local domestic homicide review identified that several neighbours of the deceased heard shouting and screaming the night the victim was murdered but the police weren’t called. We need a community equipped with the knowledge of what DA is, how to ask the awkward questions, and where to refer victims for support if needed.
As well as friends and relatives; community groups, religious leaders, frontline workers, hairdressers, vets, maintenance workers and so many more people, could be in a position to identify and support victims.
We offer open training for individuals (see events) and bespoke training for groups.
- To identify the characteristics of domestic abuse
- To understand the barriers victims face to getting support
- To feel able to ask sensitive questions, have difficult conversations and respond appropriately to disclosures
- To know where to signpost victims/survivors for support
Training for Education Settings
1 in 7 children will experience domestic abuse within their lifetime and on average there will be one child in every reception class who has experienced domestic abuse since birth.
Data also shows us that young people aged 16-19 are the most likely to be experiencing domestic abuse.
Domestic abuse is child abuse, and the DA Act 2021 recognises children who see, hear or experience domestic abuse as victims in their own right. Education settings are uniquely placed to identify child and adult victims and help them to access the right support.
Society Without Abuse offer a number of training courses as part of their HOPE Education Settings Award, and these can also be accessed by individuals by contacting us via the email link below.
- Domestic Abuse and the Impact on CYP (Whole school)
- Domestic Abuse for Safeguarding Leads
- Domestic Abuse for Pastoral Staff
- Domestic Abuse Ambassadors
Please complete your details below to be emailed your September safeguarding resources to enhance your annual training.
By completing your details, you consent to us contacting you for feedback on the resources and sending you information about further training and our work with schools and young people.
Training For Professionals
We need professionals who may come into contact with domestic abuse victims to be highly trained so victims can get the right help, first time. Training is offered at the appropriate level for your role/team and aims can include.
- To have an in depth understanding of the forms of DA and its impact.
- To be clear on the role of myself and others
- To respond sensitively and supportively
- To understand safeguarding
- To assess risk, make decisions and be able to report concerns to services.
- To understand my role within a multi-disciplinary team and work with other professionals.
- To understand the long-term impact of DA
- To follow safeguarding procedures
- Demonstrate knowledge of best practice in DA support.
We are also able to offer training to professionals on the DASH RIC assessment, please see our eventbrite page for the next course or contact us for DASH training for your team.
Services For Businesses
Many organisations are recognising that current or historic domestic abuse will almost certainly be impacting employees.
- 38% of employees who were experiencing domestic abuse said they were less productive at work
- 1 in 5 (22%) say they sometimes stopped going into work/would take days off
- 1 in 10 (13%) quit their job
A KPMG study estimated that the direct cost of domestic abuse to business’ bottom line is £316m per year
We offer a range of services for businesses, including policy consultation, awareness raising sessions for staff, training for HR/Managers/Union Reps/Mental Health First Aiders etc. as well as training and embedding domestic abuse champions within the organisation.
If you would like to attend a future training session please register an interest here.
We can also design and deliver bespoke training packages to meet your training needs. For more information please contact: training@swindonwomensaid.org or call Kate Rowland on 01793 698001
