Workplace Domestic Violence Program: End-to-End Advisory & Implementation

Building organizational readiness, legal compliance, and meaningful support for employees facing intimate partner violence (IPV)

Domestic violence is not a private issue — it’s a workplace safety issue, a legal compliance issue, and a risk management issue.

Yet most employers are not equipped to respond. Programs fail because they lack structure, internal capability, or a cohesive plan for safety, accommodation, and culture change.

I provide an integrated, end-to-end suite of services to help employers prevent, identify, and respond to intimate partner violence (IPV) in the workplace.

My approach combines:

• legal compliance across all Canadian jurisdictions (except Quebec and the territories)

• trauma- and violence-informed practice

• risk and safety planning

• intersectional accommodation expertise

• organizational design, culture work, and change management

The result is a program that is both legally defensible and human-centred, giving employees real support while equipping leaders with the clarity and confidence they need.

THE FIVE PILLARS OF A HIGH-FUNCTIONING WORKPLACE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAM

PILLAR 1 — Strategy, Governance & Program Foundations

A high-functioning IPV workplace program starts with the right structure.

What this includes:

• Interdisciplinary Team Creation & Facilitation

  Identify who needs to be at the table (HR, Legal, Security, Facilities, IT, Operations, DEI, etc.). I help you build the team, define roles, create escalation pathways, and — if needed — attend early meetings to guide discussions.

  
  

• Policy Creation or Integration

  Legally sound, trauma- and violence-informed, and either standalone or integrated into your existing Workplace Violence Program.

  
  

• Decision Trees and Procedures

  Clear steps for report recipients, managers, supervisors, and specialized teams.(“If X happens, we notify Y; if Y identifies risk, we escalate to Z.”)

  
  

• Local Resource Mapping

  Identification of local shelters, culturally specific services, police units, mental health supports — and guidance on how to engage them appropriately.

This pillar ensures your program is structurally sound, operationally consistent, and compliant before an employee ever discloses.

PILLAR 2 — Communications & Culture Change

A workplace can have the best policy in Canada — but if employees don’t feel safe coming forward, it won’t matter.

What this includes:

• IPV Awareness Campaign Strategy

  Organization-wide communication campaigns that normalize talkinng about IPV and reduce stigma.

  
  

• Internal Communications Toolkit

  Posters, scripts, talking points, email templates, intranet language, digital signage.

  
  

• Leadership Activation

  Coaching leaders on how to speak publicly and safely about IPV, including custom messaging or video scripts.

  
  

• Long-Term Integration

  Embedding IPV messaging into onboarding, safety talks, team meetings, and annual training calendars.

  
  

This pillar helps create the cultural safety necessary for any survivor to disclose.

PILLAR 3 — Workforce Capability Building

You cannot rely solely on HR. Everyone must understand their role.

Staff-Level Training:

• Recognizing signs of IPV

• How to check in with colleagues without escalating danger

• Bystander intervention principles adapted to IPV

• Activity-based training designed around your workforce demographics and risk profile

Manager & Supervisor Training:

• Responding to disclosures

• Conducting trauma- and violence-informed meetings

• Protecting confidentiality

• Knowing when and how to escalate

• Self-management and burnout prevention (tap-out protocols, buddy systems)

Specialized Training for Security, IT & Facilities:

• Digital abuse and technology misuse

• Stalking protocols — onsite and remote

• Coordinating adaptations for at-risk employees

This pillar ensures the whole organization is capable, confident, and aligned.

PILLAR 4 — Risk Assessment, Safety Planning & Case Advisory

The most time-sensitive, high-stakes component of any IPV program.

Risk Assessment Support:

• Training HR/Managers to conduct preliminary risk assessments (including iHEAL and other actuarial tools)

• Identifying your organization’s unique risk profile based on workforce demographics

• Quantifying the cost of inaction

• Providing independent risk assessment services where external expertise is needed

Safety Planning Support:

• Training your teams to create safety plans grounded in identified risks

• Guidance on coordinating with shelters, police, or community partners

• Reviewing safety plans for completeness and identifying gaps

• Navigating complex or high-risk situations involving multiple departments

This pillar ensures you can respond quickly, appropriately, and safely when a survivor discloses.

PILLAR 5 — Leave, Accommodation & Ongoing Survivor Support

Operationalizing flexibility and safety — without creating barriers or retraumatization.

What this includes:

• Training on domestic violence leave

• Human rights accommodation training rooted in trauma- and violence-informed practice

• Advisory services on:

  • when to ask for documentation

  • when NOT to ask

  • how to encourage cooperation without coercion

  • navigating non-cooperation safely and lawfully

• Ongoing case support for HR and managers handling active or complex situations

This pillar ensures survivors receive dignity, flexibility, and meaningful support — not red tape.

CONCLUSION — Why an Integrated, Full-Suite IPV Program Matters

Building an effective workplace domestic violence program is not a matter of checking boxes. It requires coordinated culture change, trauma- and violence-informed processes, legally sound policies, competent risk assessment, and cross-functional implementation. When these components work together, they prevent escalation, reduce liability, strengthen culture, and materially improve safety outcomes.

That is why my primary offering is a fully integrated, end-to-end IPV program — the approach that delivers the greatest impact, the strongest compliance posture, and the highest degree of cultural safety for employees.

It is the model used by organizations that want to lead, not react.

That said, I recognize that not every employer can begin with the full suite on day one.

If you need to start smaller, I also offer modular, à-la-carte services — such as policy drafting, staff training, manager training, risk-assessment training, or advisory for complex cases — that can stand alone now and scale into a full program later.

Whether you’re ready to build a comprehensive IPV strategy or you want to take the first step with a single component, I can help you move from uncertainty to confidence — and from liability to leadership. If your organization is fully prepared to respond, I can guide you through the entire process from start to finish.

Click here to get the conversation started.