Lottery Community Fund
Police, fire and crime commissioner for essex

Our Training

Fully-Funded Public Training Catalogue

Workplace and Community Sessions 2022/23

Alpha Vesta provide a range of awareness and training sessions which are aimed at ‘embedding culture and building understanding’ around domestic abuse and its impact.

The online sessions are for those working within any Workplace or Community Group and provide understanding, information, and build confidence and skills in recognising the signs of domestic abuse and reaching out to someone who may be affected.   

This allows you to support colleagues and staff who may be affected as well as reaching out to those in the wider community.

Places can be booked individually via Alpha Vesta’s Eventbrite page. Please contact enquiries@alphavesta.com if you would like to book a private session for your whole workplace, community organisation or a larger group.

Training Levels

Core

Suitable for attendees without any prior knowledge of domestic abuse and its impact.

Enhanced

Suitable for attendees who have completed at least 1 core workshop with Alpha Vesta.

Advanced CPD

For attendees that have completed all 4 of Alpha Vesta’s Core Workshops

Understanding Domestic Abuse and its Impact - 2hr Online Workshop (Core 1)

Domestic abuse often appears in the news and across media outlets but research shows that the majority of people across communities and workplaces lack any real understanding of what domestic abuse really is, it’s impact and why it’s so complex. This workshop explores the different types of domestic abuse, the national and regional impact of domestic abuse as well as the different laws and interventions that currently exist to combat it. A range of case studies are explored as well as research into the value of creating grass-roots training in domestic abuse across communities and workplaces that are having contact with both victims and perpetrators of abuse every day but have no understanding or skills to recognise the signs.

The session looks in depth at both psychological abuse and coercive control which underpins many different cases of domestic abuse.

The Complexity of Domestic Abuse - 2hr Online Workshop (Core 2)

Suffering from domestic abuse may be just one of many challenges that a victim is facing. This workshop explores both the manifestation of domestic abuse in terms of trauma and psychological torture but also explores different needs, vulnerabilities and barriers that both victims and perpetrators face which complicate creating any sustainable changes in their circumstances. Gender, Age, Mental Health, Substance Misuse as well as Unemployment are looked at within Alpha Vesta’s ‘Big 12’ Complexity Areas.  Different Ethnicities and LGBT communities also form part of this workshop in order to understand better the challenges that complicate domestic abuse even more and facilitate the cycle of abuse further.  Recognising the signs, fostering a non-judgemental and trauma-informed approachare all explored.

The session is designed for attendees to never question why someone ‘doesn’t just leave’ an abusive relationship.

The session looks in depth at both psychological abuse and coercive control which underpins many different cases of domestic abuse.

Impact of Domestic Abuse in the Workplace - 2hr Online Workshop (Core 3)

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 along with a number of 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.  

Impact of Domestic Abuse on Children - 2 hr Online Workshop (Core 4)

Children are impacted by domestic abuse in the home in a number of different ways both psychologically and physically. The signs are often subtle and for those around them, considering that they may be living in an abusive home, has never entered their mind. When we aren’t able to pick up on the subtle signs, the abuse continues, resulting in extreme trauma and neglect for many children who are living in a ‘state of red alert’ every day.

This workshop explores the impact that different types of domestic abuse have on children living in abusive homes. 89% of children having lived in abusive homes lack emotional wellbeing and 60% feel they are to blame for the abuse that may be taking place. For many, the abuse may just become normal for them. Understanding this impact is fundamental to a greater understanding of domestic abuse and its manifestation. Understand how children are often used as a weapon by the perpetrator as well as becoming a complex barrier for victims trying to their change their circumstances. This workshop also includes ways in which we can both recognise the signs and support children safely and effectively.  

Domestic Abuse and Eating Disorders - 1 hr Online Awareness Session (Enhanced 2a)

Due to the subjective nature of domestic abuse and the shame and stigma that sit around it, recognising the signs can be incredibly challenging. This is why often cases of domestic abuse reach crisis point before anyone realised that abuse was even occurring. We therefore have to become better at recognising and responding to the signs across our communities, within our workplaces and amongst those we work with, at an earlier point. By understanding some of the issues and barriers that sit in and around domestic abuse, we are better equipped to reach those affected at a much earlier point. Eating Disorders are often deeply entangled with domestic abuse and this session explores why and how that happens.

The session includes an interview with Lucy Whittaker, Founding Director of Alpha Vesta and Actress Gemma Oaten, Manager of SEED Eating Disorder Support Service who have been supporting Alpha Vesta in the writing of the session.

Attendees will:-

  • Understand why the signs of domestic abuse are incredibly challenging to recognise
  • Understand why sometimes we will spot the difficulties occurring around the abuse before the abuse itself
  • Understand the different types of Eating Disorders
  • Understand the different ways Domestic Abuse and Eating Disorders are deeply entangled.
  • Feel better equipped to spot the signs of domestic abuse and/or an Eating Disorder
  • Understand how to reach out safely and effectively 
  • Know where and how to refer or signpost for support and help
Domestic Abuse and Pets - 1 hr Online Awareness Session (Enhanced 2b)

The aim of the session is to raise awareness of the correlation between domestic abuse and the abuse of pets who are also members of that former or current family dynamic. It forms part of a suite of additional enhanced sessions on the additional layers that sit in and around domestic abuse and interact with it in a dynamic way.

Learning Outcomes Attendees will:-

  • Understand why the signs of domestic abuse are incredibly challenging to recognise
  • Understand why sometimes we will spot additional behaviours occurring around the domestic abuse before the abuse itself
  • Understand why the abuse of Pets is closely correlated with Domestic Abuse
  • Understand the different ways in which Pets may be at risk of abuse or violence
  • Understand the effect on a child or victim of abuse who is witnessing the abuse of their pet 
  • Spotting the Signs –What you might see, hear or notice? 
  • Understand the complexity in legislation in this area
  • Feel better equipped to spot the signs of domestic abuse and the abuse of pets
  • Know where to reach out to if you are concerned about a pet living in home where domestic abuse may be occurring
Domestic Abuse Policy development - 2hr Online Workshop (Enhanced 3)

This workshop is for those that have completed ‘Impact of Domestic Abuse in the Workplace’ (Core3)and have received a direct invite from Alpha Vesta to book this session.

This session builds on awareness in the first workshop where we look at practical elements of building a strategy and policy around domestic abuse in the Workplace.

This includes a combination of broad awareness packages and training to embed culture and build understanding as well as specific skills-based work.

The session looks at how to embed culture and build understanding as well as key elements that any domestic abuse policy should contain.

The session also includes Case Studies where attendees can think about how they would respond in specific situations.

Impact of Domestic Abuse on Children and Young People Extra Familial Harm - 2 hr Online Workshop (Enhanced 4)

For many children who are living in a ‘state of red alert’ every day. This fear, vulnerability and exhaustion leads them to be at risk of significant harm outside the home as well as inside the home. 

Extra-Familial is a term used to describe something that occurs outside of the family or home. It refers to the different harms, risks and threats that children may face outside of their family and the home. These include gangs, county lines, radicalisation, harmful sexual behaviours, child exploitation, online grooming and child trafficking as well as criminal activity and cycle of violence. 

There is a strong victim/perpetrator overlap where children become embroiled in these different areas as both victims and perpetrators as part of their underlying need to survive and get through each day.

This workshop explores the correlation with children that have experienced domestic abuse in the home and their subsequent vulnerability to extra-familial harm outside the home. 

This workshop has been co-written by Lucy Whittaker and Natalie Queiroz, Survivor of Domestic Abuse and OCN Level 3 Gangs Expert.

Understanding Risk, Support and Safety Planning 3 hr Online Workshop (CPD 1)

This 3 hr online workshop results in Alpha Vesta’s CPD Accredited Certificate in ‘Understanding Domestic Abuse and its Impact –Workplace Training’.

The session is for those that have completed all 4 of Alpha Vesta’s Core Workshops and have completed an Online Assessment.

The session pulls together all 4 core courses and explores the interaction and impact of domestic abuse.  The session looks at the need to safeguard both victims and their children regardless of whether a case enters the criminal justice system and some of the complexity around this.  Current legislation is discussion along with a Toolbox of resources and interventions designed to fill some gaps in current provision.

Standardised Risk Assessments are explored as well as the need to ‘dig deeper’ and form a robust professional judgement of what you might be seeing, hearing and noticing in someone you are concerned about.

Domestic Abuse Support and Help

National 24hr Domestic Violence Helpline

For women and children experiencing domestic abuse

0808 2000 247

www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk

Men’s Advice Line

For men experiencing domestic abuse

0808 801 0327

www.mensadviceline.org.uk

Samaritans

For those struggling in terms of their mental health and feeling in crisis

116 123

www.samaritans.org

RESPECT

For those concerned that they may be using abusive behaviours

0808 802 4040

www.respect.uk.net

NSPCC Helpline 

If you are concerned about a child

0808 800 5000

www.nspcc.org.uk

NCDV

A free, fast emergency injunction service for survivors of domestic abuse and violence

0800 970 2070

www.ncdv.org.uk

Alpha Vesta

For employers and employees concerned about a staff member 01245 791281

enquiries@alphavesta.com

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