There are online and in-person training events running from September 2024 to March 2025 for anyone who wants to increase their awareness of the signs of domestic abuse and its prevalence in society, and learn how to support victims.

Domestic abuse all too often follows a survivor into the workplace and can lead to chronic absenteeism, decreased productivity, emotional, mental and physical ill-health, and safety concerns that affect work performance.

What constitutes domestic abuse?

Domestic abuse involves any single abusive incident or pattern of abusive conduct perpetrated by a person towards someone they are personally connected to who is aged 16 or over.

This could be an intimate partner (married or not), ex-partner, civil partner, family member or individual who shares parental responsibility for a child.

Domestic abuse can involve physical or sexual abuse, violent or threatening behaviour, controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse, and psychological, emotional, or other abuse.

How prevalent is domestic abuse?

One in four women and one in six/seven men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. The Office for National Statistics figures from 2022/23 showed that 1.38 million women and 751,000 men were victims of domestic abuse. Of these, 964,000 women and 483,000 men were victims of partner abuse.

The effect of domestic abuse on the workplace

According to the Employer’s Initiative on Domestic Abuse:

• Over 1 in 10 of those who experience domestic abuse report that the abuse continues in the workplace, in 81% of cases this is through abusive emails or phone calls 
• 47% of those experiencing domestic abuse say that their perpetrator turned up at their workplace or stalked them outside their place of work  

Even when the perpetrator does not enter the workplace or pursue their victim at work, domestic abuse nearly always impacts the survivor’s productivity and ability to work: 

• Nearly 9 out of 10 workers experiencing domestic abuse say it impacts their performance at work  
• Over half of those experiencing domestic abuse have to take time off work as a result of abuse and nearly half are late to work
• Of those who had experienced domestic abuse, over 40% said it had affected their ability to get to work  
• More than 1 in 5 working women have taken time off work because of domestic abuse and 1 in 50 women lose their jobs as a consequence of experiencing domestic abuse

There's a clear financial impact too, with an estimated £14 billion lost to businesses each year through decreased productivity, time off work, lost wages and sick pay as a result of domestic abuse.

The workplace can also be a safe place

Yet for some people who experience domestic abuse, the workplace can be a safe haven away from the domestic setting, offering routes to support and vital resources that can help them, including support from employers and colleagues.

‘Tackling and Preventing Domestic Abuse' training catalogue

Buckinghamshire Council’s ‘Tackling and Preventing Domestic Abuse' training catalogue (PDF) is for any professionals wishing to upskill their knowledge around domestic abuse and is not exclusively for professionals who work with vulnerable or at-risk audiences.

The aim is to increase people’s confidence in identifying the signs of abuse and give appropriate support and signposting to victims.

The offer continues to be entirely free of charge to encourage as many individuals as possible to upskill or refresh their knowledge.

There are 18 different types of courses, each with a selection of dates and times to choose from. Some courses are virtual over MS Teams and others are face to face including “power hours”, half and full-day sessions to suit flexible working patterns.

For more information, read the ‘Tackling and Preventing Domestic Abuse' training catalogue (PDF).

How to book training

Sign up to the Reducing the Risk hub and select the user group 'DA Champion - Untrained' on the registration form. For questions regarding signing into the hub, email [email protected].

For questions regarding the training courses, email [email protected]. More information can be found on the Buckinghamshire Domestic Abuse Board website.