KR HR & TRAINING NEWS ARTICLES

Jess Asato MP is proposing that employers with five or more team members have a domestic abuse policy highlighting the support available to individuals subjected to abuse. This is in addition to a separate, related Bill tabled in January 2025 for paid “safe leave” for individuals who need time off for reasons associated with abuse, such as attending legal, counselling or medical appointments, finding safe housing or seeking help from support services.  The Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill is due to have its second reading on 20th June 2025. 

Until recently, domestic abuse statistics in the UK primarily focused on physical violence, despite coercive and controlling behaviour being criminalised in 2015.  However, as of May 2025, this form of abuse is formally recognised under the same umbrella as physical violence in official data.  This shift reflects a broader understanding of the harm caused by non-physical abuse.  As a result, updated estimates suggest that approximately 12.6 m people in England and Wales, – up from 10 million in earlier figures – have experienced abusive behaviour from a partner or family member since the age of 16.

To better capture the evolving nature of domestic abuse, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has introduced a new set of questions to the Crime survey for England and Wales, developed with input from victims, survivors and experts.  Previous questions did not align with the definition of abuse in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021

These questions, in use from April 2025, aim to provide a more accurate and nuanced picture of abuse, including forms previously underreported – such as economic, emotional, health-related and partner status related abuse to provide vital information to all those working to improve outcomes and support for victims.

From the ONS new questions, it is estimated that for the survey year ending March 2025:

• 1 in 4 adults have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16 compared with 1 in 5 adults under the previous questions. 
• 8.0% of people aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse in the last year (equivalent to 3.9 million people)

• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men experience domestic abuse (previously reported as 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men) during adulthood.
• 9.5%  of women (2.3 million women) have experienced domestic abuse in the last year
• 6.5% of men (1.5 million men) have experienced domestic abuse in the last year 
• All of their children are also affected and if they have witnessed abuse they are considered victims in their own right.100,000 people in the UK are currently considered at high and imminent risk of being murdered or seriously harmed by their abuser.
• 30% of domestic abuse begins during pregnancy

These statistics on domestic abuse are horrifying, not least because they are probably an under-estimate due to many people choosing not to report crimes for various reasons, such as fear of retaliation, victim-blaming or not being believed, or a lack of confidence in the criminal justice system.

In 2024, Police chiefs in England and Wales issued a joint statement declaring the “epidemic” of violence against women and girls a national emergency. Whilst it is blatantly obvious that domestic abuse and sexual violence are important national issues which have devastating effects on so many individuals, some people may question whether this is a workplace issue. 

We would like to highlight why we think this is a topic relevant to employers:

Work may be the only safe space that the victim has – both an escape and a place where they can seek help. Staying in work is also important to maintain a sense of identity, confidence and financial security. 

There are numerous reasons why domestic abuse is not simply a “private matter” but is a critical issue for employers:

• Employers have a duty of care to provide a safe work environment. Around 75% of women who are subjected to domestic abuse are targeted by their abuser at work. 
• A survey by TUC highlighted that 16% of victims surveyed said their perpetrator works in the same place that they do.
• 86% of victims say that domestic abuse negatively affects their performance at work due to being distracted, tired or unwell. The estimated loss of earnings to an individual due to domestic abuse are on average £5,800 per year. This has a knock-on effect for businesses and the economy.
• A report by the Home Office from 2019 estimated that the cost to the UK economy of domestic abuse is £14bn per annum in lost economic output.
• When protections relating to domestic abuse were introduced in workplaces in New Zealand, this resulted in increased productivity and reduced cost to businesses. 
• 40 – 60% of women experiencing abuse, are abused during pregnancy.

There is a lot of stigma and myths around domestic abuse. A visible policy helps bring the topic into the mainstream and raises awareness, rather than the topic remaining silenced behind closed doors. Of course there should always be confidentiality around individual cases, but people are more likely to disclose if they know they will be understood, believed and supported.

We don’t know at this point whether either of the above proposals regarding domestic abuse policies or paid safe leave will come into effect. However, we do know that there are likely to be individuals in your workplaces who need support urgently.

During March 2025, in just one week, both Kirsteen and Kathryn visited different clients to discuss specific cases where employers wanted to know how to support individuals affected by domestic abuse. As you can imagine, the circumstances were harrowing but they were important conversations to have.

Here are some of the things we are doing as a team right now:

• Upskilling our team with specialist training so we can support organisations and individuals effectively and (once fully qualified) deliver accredited training on related subjects.
• Becoming an organisational member and HR charter signatories of the Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse. Read Kirsteen’s learning points from their recent webinar for employers.
• Remembering these are difficult topics and taking time to talk to each other and focus on self-care.

Here are six things you could do right now – all of which are FREE!

1. Watch the video of Jess’s speech (it takes 5 minutes)
2. Download a free domestic abuse policy from Domestic Abuse Education – “Sharon’s Policy” is created by victim-survivor Sharon Livermore. You may want to adapt it for your organisation.
3. Sign up your organisation to Employer’s Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA). As a member, you will get access to free resources and webinars to help you develop your organisation’s approach.
4. If you are an HR professional, you can also sign EIDA’s HR Charter and commit to raising awareness of domestic abuse issues in your workplace.
5. Train key individuals as “Support Ambassadors” – this may suit individuals who are already Mental Health First Aiders (but there is no requirement for individual to be MHFA trained). This training is available free of charge from the Survivor’s Trust and is delivered online in two half-day sessions plus a follow up supervision session. 
6. Raise awareness and provide support for pregnant employees by adapting family-friendly workplace policies and procedures to better support those affected. Two free resources can be found at: 
   https://domesticabuseeducation.co.uk/protecting-every-future/  
   https://domesticabuseeducation.co.uk/domestic-abuse-during-pregnancy-guide-for-workplaces/ 

A victim of domestic abuse, quoted by the charity “Safe Lives” stated:

“Everyone at work knew. They must have done. I wished someone had said something, asked me how I was. I think if my manager had known what to do or say, she would have liked to help, but the conversation just seemed too hard, perhaps.”

Would you know what to say if an individual disclosed to you that they were experiencing domestic abuse?

If you are subjected to domestic abuse or know someone who needs support, then download our domestic abuse resources document which includes details of a range of support services.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss how you could develop your organisation’s approach on this subject, or if you need support with individual cases