Domestic abuse accounts for 20% of all crime in Essex. It affects 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men in their lifetime. This means that, statistically, every workplace will at some time have employed someone affected by domestic abuse, either directly or indirectly.
Domestic Abuse Awareness in the Workplace Now (DAAWN) is a collaboration between the Essex Chambers of Commerce, Essex Police Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), and Practical HR Ltd. It seeks to engage the business community to raise awareness about domestic abuse in a safe environment. Our aim is to remove stigma and enable conversations that will prevent abuse.
During the pilot stage, our policy, awareness videos, signposting, and Charter, was introduced across nearly 40 SME organisations and presented to thousands of employees. The project has now moved into stage 2, and we’re focusing on helping more SMEs to implement the software that delivers this vital awareness information. This is done via a unique HR Portal developed by Practical HR Ltd.
If you are an SME in Essex, with 1 – 500 employees, we offer up to £1500 match funding for your organisation to access this software. As an employer, it is the right thing to do morally and commercially. Right now, domestic abuse is costing industry over 14 billion a year through staff absence, high turnover, and poor engagement and performance. This can significantly impact the wellbeing of your workforce and your bottom line.
Please take a minute to look at the Business Leaders Video produced in Stage 1 which gives you an indication on what the Partnership has brought to businesses so far:
If you would like to be part of this project and join our mission to prevent domestic abuse, please get in touch below.
