The Insurance Charities drives industry action to tackle domestic abuse

Domestic-abuse-toolkit-for-UK-employers

Dedicated industry charity, The Insurance Charities, is pleased to unveil an update to the valuable resource; the Domestic Abuse Toolkit for Employers.

The charity is proud to have funded not just the original Toolkit but also this update, driven by a recognition that the world of work, and awareness of domestic abuse, have changed in the three years since its publication. Covid-19 has accelerated these changes so, together with Business in the Community, Public Health England, and the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA), the Insurance Charities acted.

The Toolkit provides business leaders, senior managers, HR, occupational health, and anyone involved with the health and wellbeing of staff with information, resource, examples, and confidence to tackle abuse, raise awareness and support their staff.

With one in four women and one in six men experiencing domestic abuse in their lifetime, employers have an important role to play in society’s response to this crime. Never more so than in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen an exponential shift to working from home. According to Refuge, calls to helplines have increased by 61% since lockdown began. For those experiencing abuse, the workplace often offers a safe space and respite from their abuser.

 Launching exclusively to the insurance industry first, the toolkit can be adopted by any employer irrespective of size.

Chief Executive Officer of the Insurance Charities, Annali-Joy Thornicroft, said: “In recent years we have supported a growing number of people who have come to us because of domestic abuse. In addition to the financial help we give, we wanted to go one step further and really help tackle the issue. We're therefore delighted to have once again sponsored this vital resource to help employers and their colleagues."

Elizabeth Filkin, Chair of EIDA, added: “Our members cite the Toolkit as one of the most comprehensive and useful resources they have to tackle domestic abuse. Most importantly, many refer to it time and time again for information and advice.

“Given this, and the enormous changes we’ve seen in the world of work over the past three years, we are delighted to have this updated resource, to ensure employers can be as effective as possible in supporting their staff. After all, domestic abuse really is everyone’s business.”

The Toolkit is available to download for free from the BITC website (cut and paste the link into your browser): https://www.bitc.org.uk/toolkit/domestic-abuse-toolkit/

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About Charity

The Insurance Charities is the only charity supporting current and former insurance employees and their families across the UK and Ireland.

How do we help?

The charity transforms insurance people’s lives for the better by providing a lifeline to support them with whatever difficulties they may be facing such as redundancy, poor health, domestic abuse, and tragedy.

We can help people throughout their career and beyond with one off and ongoing financial and/or practical support for as long as it’s needed. In 2022/2023 we gave out over £1.3 million to those experiencing financial hardship to help pay for things such as household appliances, school uniform, funeral costs, rehabilitation, and property adaptations. We also work with other organisations such as Aware in Ireland, Shelter UK, and Alzheimer’s Society to provide practical support where needed. Through these fantastic charities we can help those experiencing mild depression and anxiety, assist those with housing concerns, and those affected by dementia.

Did you know?

• It doesn’t matter what role you’ve had working in the sector

• Your application will be treated in the strictest of confidence

• You don’t need to be a member of a professional body or association to access support

• Both working and non-working people can apply

• The charity also supports dependants of insurance employees (past and present) such as children and partners.

We are keen to talk to employers across the industry about how we could support their colleagues so encourage people to get in touch to find out more.

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