Working to take domestic abuse out of the equation

We’ve been working towards accreditation with the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) - a national benchmark for how housing providers can and should respond to domestic abuse.

It sets out a number of standards and priority areas considered best practice within the housing sector. We know we already have some good practice – such as our very own in-house safeguarding & domestic abuse team – but we want to enhance that further so all affected customers and colleagues get the support they need.

We started the process by becoming a member of DAHA last year and since then we’ve been reviewing and updating our policies and procedures, completed a staff survey to measure colleagues’ understanding, and created a brand new domestic abuse policy for our team members.

We’ve also supported a number of campaigns, including White Ribbon Day and its ‘16 days of activism’.

We started this campaign by sharing messages of support from male colleagues, followed by team members and charity Salcare joining forces to complete a ‘race the dark’ walking challenge before the sun set.

Other activities included a bake sale, sharing helpful resources with customers, fundraising over £260 for White Ribbon, and an interview with a colleague who bravely opened up about her own experiences of domestic abuse. Watch her powerful story below.