This session is funded by The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex and The National Lottery Community Fund.

The Social and Economic costs of Domestic Abuse were explored in a Home Office Report released in 2019. Costs were calculated at £66 billion per year, with £14 billion of this as a direct cost to businesses themselves. A further study released in November 2019 highlighted the barriers to career progression for victims and the costs of just absence alone in relation to domestic abuse. This workshop explores this impact in terms of the victim themselves but also their work colleagues and employers. Increased absence, lateness, lower productivity, reduced health and wellbeing and case studies are all explored in order to create a thorough picture. This is followed by how workplaces can minimise the impact by embedding a culture of understanding around domestic abuse, develop a robust policy as well as deliver safe and effective support to employees taking into account important issues of risk and confidentiality. This workshop is run in associaton with HR Consultants, Mrs P2.