Our Trust is the first NHS Trust in England to sign up to the Employee Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC) to support and empower survivors of domestic abuse to enter or re-enter the workplace.
By signing up we will work towards ensuring the opportunities are in place for domestic abuse victims and survivors who are applying for new roles. We will also work towards creating inclusive workplace opportunities, mentoring schemes and act as a champion to break the taboos surrounding victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
Julie Pennycook, Director for People and Organisational Development said: “On International Women’s Day we are pleased to share that we have made this commitment to support women who have survived domestic abuse.
“As one of the Island’s largest employers and with a female workforce of over 74% this is an important milestone for our organisation to support our community and our staff better.”
Founding member of EDAC, Polly Harrar said: “We are delighted that Isle of Wight NHS Trust has become the first NHS Trust to sign this important Covenant and in doing so, they are leading the way for others to mobilise their efforts in providing sustainable solutions and opportunities for victims/survivors of domestic abuse”
Louise Carrington, Adult Safeguarding Lead said: “We know that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. People who have experienced domestic abuse could be a real asset to the NHS.
“They will have life experiences and skills to bring to so many roles and as an employer we are flexible with working patterns and locations to provide that additional support they may need.”
Louise continued: ““Financial stability is incredibly important to someone considering leaving or having left an abusive relationship. Financial independence can be significantly empowering for survivors of domestic abuse and if we can support people better by working towards the accreditation and getting them in the workplace this will make such a difference to so many individuals.”
International Women's Day, Tuesday 8 March 2022, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and the theme of this year’s #IWD2022 is to #BreakTheBias.
Everyday thousands of women use their experiences and passion to enact change, support others and to transform the response to domestic abuse.
Our commitment is to create positive, long term and sustainable solutions by supporting women affected by abuse into the workplace.
In 2020/2021 alone the local High Risk Domestic Abuse and Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference forums on the Isle of Wight reviewed over 330 high risk domestic abuse cases where the victim is considered to be at high risk of significant harm or even death.
