Shine awards DVFREE Tick for Ministry of Justice workplace programme

The Ministry of Justice has become the first public sector organisation to receive the DVFREE Tick from Shine, New Zealand’s specialist domestic violence prevention charity. The certification is the second DVFREE Tick awarded in New Zealand (Westpac being the first).

To qualify for the DVFREE Tick, at least 90 percent of managers within an organisation must undergo DVFREE training; the DVFREE Tick criteria allows two years for large employers to reach that threshold.

Working with Shine’s specialist advisers and trainers, the Ministry of Justice has already trained nearly all of its 470 managers and has also provided training for a group of first responders who are able to talk to employees experiencing domestic violence and connect them to specialist help.

The Ministry has also commenced an in-person family violence awareness programme for all of its 3,800 employees.

“We are impressed by the level of commitment from the Ministry’s leadership for this programme This is an unprecedented level of face-to-face education about domestic violence done by a New Zealand workplace”, says Shine’s Communications Manager, Holly Carrington.

The Ministry’s Chief Operating Officer Carl Crafar, who was senior executive sponsor for the family violence programme, says employee wellbeing is a high priority for him and his senior colleagues.

“We want to make it clear that the rates of family violence in New Zealand are not acceptable. We know that the prevalence will mean our people will be impacted and we want them to know it’s ok to ask for help and that they will be fully supported when they do so”.

Ministry Chief Executive, Andrew Bridgman, has urged other public sector organisations to follow its lead.

“The model we have developed with Shine has given our managers tools to deal with some of the issues faced by our people, and the systems we have put in place are already working.”

Andrew says that the DVFREE Tick also is a good foundation for the Ministry’s client-facing work, especially for employees who engage with families affected by violence at home.

About the DVFREE Tick accreditation

Shine has developed the DVFREE Tick programme for organisations across New Zealand. The programme requires the development of comprehensive policy and procedures as well as targeted training for key staff and awareness-raising for all staff. To be awarded the DVFREE Tick would typically require 3-6 months of focused effort for a large employer.

The DVFREE Tick is the latest, most comprehensive development of Shine’s DVFREE programme, which began in 2001. The DVFREE Tick is awarded for meeting criteria that includes:

• creating a pathway for employees experiencing domestic violence, so they know how to get help within their organisation and in the community, know their concerns will be taken seriously and that they will receive emotional and practical support to be safe at work
• raising the level of awareness about domestic violence throughout the organisation to dispel common victim blaming attitudes to make it easier for victims to disclose domestic violence without stigma
• making sure that all staff know what to do if they know or suspect that someone on staff is experiencing or perpetrating domestic violence
• Making sure domestic violence is not tolerated or excused and being prepared to respond appropriately to staff who perpetrate domestic violence on work time or with work resources

Shine’s experts have distilled their knowledge and experience to create Guidelines on Policy & Procedures – a detailed set of recommendations and supporting information, that also outlines the criteria for the DVFREE Tick. The Guidelines can be purchased through www.dvfree.org.nz.

ENDS

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