West Mercia Women’s Aid
Training & Consultancy
“There were many highlights of the training, but the survivors were the biggest. Please pass on my thanks and respect to them.”
Course Attendee
Who are you and how can we help?
I’m a Social Care professional looking for Domestic Abuse training to support clients/ service users
Are you a school, residential home, college, social care provider or one of the many partner agencies we work with?
We are able to offer a number of sessions to enable you to effectively support, sign post and respond to DA disclosures by adults, children and young people.
We also design and deliver bespoke training packages to respond to the needs of your organisation and service.
I’m an employer or employee looking for advice or training re supporting colleagues and employees in the workplace around DA disclosures.
Sometimes work can feel like the only safe space and people may disclose Domestic Abuse to colleagues, line managers or HR teams. The way that an organisation responds can have a massive impact on the survivors journey. We offer sessions that enable employers, colleagues and HR teams to respond effectively in the support and signposting offered. This includes courses such
• Understanding Domestic Abuse
• Domestic Abuse Awareness for Employers, HR teams and Managers
• Domestic Abuse Support Organisational Champions
• We can also offer bespoke packages tailored to your needs
Domestic Abuse: The Hidden Costs To Your Organisation
Latest Training Events – 4th February or 1st April
Domestic Abuse Awareness for Employers. This full day training session for employers will explore the impact of domestic abuse in the workplace and how to recognise – and respond to – disclosures. Scroll to the bottom of the page for more information.
About WMWA & Our Training
WMWA is a recognised domestic abuse specialist organisation but there is much that other agencies and businesses can do to recognise domestic abuse and provide appropriate support to victims and survivors. There is an important role for WMWA in providing training and advice to other professionals for whom domestic abuse is not core to their business but where nevertheless it will be an issue for those with whom they work – HR professionals and businesses, University staff, housing officers, social workers, and health professionals are just some examples of professional groups with whom WMWA will work with to provide training and support. WMWA training packages include input from our survivor networks, to whom mentoring and support is provided to ensure that the sharing of their own testament is a positive experience.
Domestic Abuse Statistics – Did you know?
- An estimated 1.6 million women and 757,000 men in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March (ONS, 2020)
- £78 billion is the estimated annual economic and social cost of domestic abuse. (Women’s Aid 2023)
- £17 billion is the estimated cost to businesses. (Women’s Aid 2023)
- More than 1 in 3 (37%) people surveyed across multiple industries and at varying levels of seniority have experienced domestic abuse. (Vodafone)
Who will the Training be provided by?
Diane Harding leads on the Training service for WMWA, Diane’s experience in Domestic Abuse includes working as a front line practitioner/team leader at WMWA for over 15 years with high risk cases of domestic abuse. Diane is also qualified in Education and Training, delivering training and education programmes around domestic abuse for a number of well respected Domestic Abuse support organisations.
We also use the services of the many knowledgeable and experienced practitioners who work for WMWA, these include Children & Young People workers, Independent Domestic Violence Advisors, Specialists in Housing, and those working on recovery programs for Women. This ensures the training we deliver reflects current knowledge and practice in relation to the Domestic Abuse sector.
Any questions?
If you’re not sure what you need, if you want to discuss potential training for your organisation or if you only have a small budget but want to understand how to support employees in the workplace we can design something that works for you. Contact us at training@wmwa.org.uk
Latest Training Events
Domestic Abuse Awareness for Employers
This full day training session for employers will explore the impact of domestic abuse in the workplace and how to recognise – and respond to – disclosures.
Run by WMWA’s Training & Participation Officer, Diane Harding, our online training event will help employers understand the dynamics of domestic abuse, the associated impact on victims/survivors, what implications this has within the workplace, how to recognise and respond to disclosures and what support is available.
During the day, interactive sessions will explore the following themes:
Different types of domestic abuse
Signs of domestic abuse in the workplace and the potential impact on people at work
Trauma-informed responses to victims/survivors
Self-care and defining boundaries in relation to supporting colleagues who are suffering from abuse
Support resources available
Event details
Dates: 4th February or 1st April 2025
Start time: 9:30
Finish time: 16:30
Event type: Online
Cost: £75 per person
Please contact training@wmwa.org.uk to register your interest and book online.
Diane Harding, WMWA Training & Participation Officer