Safeguarding’s Independent Domestic Violence Advisor, Zena Shaw, has been instrumental in creating a set of new videos to support colleagues when a disclosure of domestic abuse has been made, recognising the benefits to those colleagues who work out of hours.

Zena said: “We appreciate that the process can be difficult to navigate, and hope these videos make it clear and easy to know what your responsibilities are. Domestic abuse impacts 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men from the age of 16. We are working to increase routine enquiries across the Trust to ensure the safety of all patients.

We asked Zena to tell us more.

Who are the videos aimed at?

They are for all colleagues as a disclosure of domestic abuse can be made to anyone. It is important that we all know how to respond to a disclosure, as it may be the only time a victim is safe and away from the perpetrator.

Are they mandatory or linked to any other training?

The videos are not mandatory, but a useful tool to make the response to a disclosure of domestic abuse easier to navigate. They are similar to the domestic abuse portion of safeguarding training, and hopefully are an easy and short recap, to keep knowledge up to date.

Tell us more about your involvement in the process

During my time in the role, I identified areas of our safeguarding priorities that I believed would benefit further resources to support colleagues. Research indicates that victims often find it easier to ask for help when in a medical setting. We know that Safeguarding can feel overwhelming and complex, and I wanted to develop resources that would make it easier for colleagues to navigate when a disclosure was made.

Although the Safeguarding Team are around for advice and support in working hours, I appreciate that disclosures can often be made overnight or at the weekend when we aren’t available for this support.

I hope these videos provide an overview of the advice that we would provide in working hours, to ensure colleagues are never without a form of support.

Where are the videos?

They are on the intranet under: Non-Clinical Information / Safeguarding – Domestic abuse / Useful resources