One in three women and one in five men experience domestic abuse. It will be happening to people in your firm, impacting their safety and ability to perform at their best. Last week, we brought together a fantastic panel of speakers at McDermott Will & Schulte in London for a session exploring the prevalence and scope of domestic abuse, the practical steps employers are taking to support their people, and what firms can do to keep employees safe and in work.
The session was introduced by Ellie West, Partner at McDermott Will & Schulte, and chaired by Richard Martin, CEO of the Mindful Business Charter. Susan Bright, CEO of EIDA, opened by setting the scene and explaining why domestic abuse is such an important issue for employers today, before handing over to Lorna Gavin, Founder of Chapter Consulting, who shared her personal story with the group.
The session then moved into a panel discussion featuring Claire England, Head of Responsible Business UK at Dentons, and Sharon Livermore MBE, Founder of Domestic Abuse Education. It was a powerful and thought-provoking morning, and we’ve had some wonderful feedback from those who attended.
Our speakers have kindly shared a number of resources for you to explore:
EIDA – Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse
EIDA is a free-to-join membership organisation supporting employers to take effective action on domestic abuse, with over 2,000 employer members collectively employing more than 25% of the UK workforce. Once your firm joins, EIDA recommends prioritising the following resources to get you started:
- EIDA Handbook and accompanying guides for managers, champions, etc.
- Business case template
- Implementation Plan Template
- EIDA resources page
- Support Services Directory
- EIDA delivers a two-day Foundation Programme providing step-by-step guidance as you start to implement an effective domestic abuse response. Get in touch to find out more: support@eida.org.uk
EIDA’s next Insight Hour on Tuesday 19th May focuses on online harms and supporting parents and early-career employees – free to attend and open to all.
Sharon Livermore MBE – Free policy template
Sharon has shared her free domestic abuse policy template and guidance notes – a ready-to-adapt resource for any organisation. Your download also includes Protecting Every Future, a guide focused on supporting employees experiencing domestic abuse during pregnancy, maternity leave, or their return to work.
Chapter Consulting – Lorna Gavin
Lorna Gavin is the founder of Chapter Consulting and an expert in equality, diversity, inclusion and corporate responsibility. With 30 years’ experience in the legal sector, she brought a deeply personal and powerful perspective to our session. Find out more about Lorna and how she works with organisations here.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us on the day, to our fantastic speakers for giving their time and sharing such valuable insights, and to McDermott Will & Schulte for kindly hosting us.
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