Enabling Workplace and Community Responses to Domestic Abuse: A Mixed Method Systematic Review of Training for Informal Supporters

Table 4

Recommendations for practice, research, and policy.

Practice	Develop training programmes that: (i) Provide information on the warning signs and nature of DA, the impacts of abuse on victim-survivors, guidance on how to respond (e.g., empathetic listening), and details about relevant resources (e.g., local specialist services); (ii) Incorporate nontext educational materials (use visuals, statistics, and case scenarios in the training); (iii) Tailor the training to the audience “meet people where they are” (e.g., providing information applicable to the workplace or community setting, building relationships of trust, and ensuring that materials are culturally appropriate); In delivering the training, consider; (i) Involving educators or experts in domestic abuse; (ii) Whether recruitment to training should be mandatory or voluntary
Research	(i) Undertake qualitative studies to develop understanding of informal supporters’ experiences and views of education/training programmes and whether/how such interventions can meet their needs; (ii) Ensure full and transparent reporting of educational interventions and research processes; (iii) Evaluate the role of mandatory recruitment and working alongside DA sector in workplace and community training; (iv) Support organisations that design and deliver training (e.g., employers/nongovernmental organisations/voluntary sector) to develop and apply research methods to evaluate their programmes
Policy	(i) Invest in training or educational activities aimed at informal supporters; (ii) Investment in specialist DA services is required alongside to respond to additional demand