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

Building organisational 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. Programmes 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
• organisational design, culture work, and change management

The result is a programme 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 programme

PILLAR 1 — Strategy, Governance & Programme Foundations

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

What this includes:

• Interdisciplinary Team Creation & FacilitationIdentify 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 IntegrationLegally sound, trauma- and violence-informed, and either standalone or integrated into your existing Workplace Violence Programme.
• Decision Trees and ProceduresClear steps for report recipients, managers, supervisors, and specialised teams. (“If X happens, we notify Y; if Y identifies risk, we escalate to Z.”)
• Local Resource MappingIdentification of local shelters, culturally specific services, police units, mental health supports — and guidance on how to engage them appropriately.

This pillar ensures your programme 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 StrategyOrganisation-wide communication campaigns that normalise talking about IPV and reduce stigma.
• Internal Communications ToolkitPosters, scripts, talking points, email templates, intranet language, digital signage.
• Leadership ActivationCoaching leaders on how to speak publicly and safely about IPV, including custom messaging or video scripts.
• Long-Term IntegrationEmbedding 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:

• Recognising 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)

Specialised 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 organisation is capable, confident, and aligned.

PILLAR 4 — Risk Assessment, Safety Planning & Case Advisory

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

Risk Assessment Support:

• Training HR/managers to conduct preliminary risk assessments (including iHEAL and other actuarial tools)
• Identifying your organisation’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

Operationalising flexibility and safety — without creating barriers or retraumatisation.

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.

Why an Integrated, Full-Suite IPV Programme Matters

Building an effective workplace domestic violence programme 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 programme — 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 organisations that want to lead, not react.

That said, I recognise 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 programme 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 organisation is fully prepared to respond, I can guide you through the entire process from start to finish.

Click here to get the conversation started.