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A webinar on nursing and midwifery employees' experiences of domestic abuse

Domestic abuse is widespread, and people working in health and social care roles are well-placed to respond. But what about nursing employees who are themselves victim-survivors of abuse? Surely that’s a rarity…  

Free online webinar  

Join us online for a thought-provoking webinar to shed light on nursing employees' own experiences of domestic abuse and help us to turn knowledge into action.  

Organised and hosted by the RCN Foundation, this free-to-attend, 90-minute event aims to create greater recognition of the issue, increase dialogue and deepen understanding of the domestic abuse experiences of nurses, midwives and healthcare support workers in the UK.  

What to expect  

The most up-to-date and pioneering research (including preliminary findings from the NAMED study) will be presented by expert researcher Dr Alison Gregory, including discussion of the following:  

  • The increased prevalence of domestic abuse among health and social care workers 
  • The exploitation of professional status/identity/role by abusers 
  • The challenges and barriers faced by nursing employees around help-seeking
  • The problem with profession-based stigma and societal expectations 
  • The worrying proportion of reported abusers working in healthcare roles 
  • The opportunities for increasing/enhancing workplace-based and tailored support 

This will be followed by a Q&A with Alison, event host and RCN Foundation Patron, Christie Watson, and the audience.

If you would like to submit a question, please email this to us at grants@rcnfoundation.org.uk. You will also have the opportunity to submit a question on the day.  

How to register 

The webinar will take place online on Monday 20 April from 1pm-2:30pm.  

To register, please click here.  

Please note, when you join the event, your details will be anonymous to other joiners. The research presentation will be recorded; however, the Q&A segment will not.  

We hope that by attending this webinar, you will feel informed, motivated and empowered to advance efforts towards positive change. The webinar is open to all, with a particular welcome for domestic abuse victim-survivors, health and social care practitioners and support organisations, DA specialists and survivor organisations, political and strategic leaders, and academics.

Helplines and online support options

If you have experienced domestic abuse, you are not alone, and you may find it helpful to contact one of the organisations listed here for support.

The organisations listed are national helplines/services that can signpost you to more local support if you need it. If you are in immediate danger, please call the police on 999.

Panel 

Christie Watson – Host and RCN Foundation Patron

Christie Watson

Christie is the Patron of the RCN Foundation and was a registered paediatric nurse for 20 years before becoming an award-winning writer. She worked in paediatric intensive care before becoming a resuscitation officer, which involved teaching and clinical work on hospital-wide crash teams.

Dr Alison Gregory – Consultant and NAMED Project Lead 

Smiling woman

Alison is highly regarded researcher with specialist interests and expertise in domestic and sexual violence and abuse, trauma-informed empowerment practice, peer support, and co-production. Before setting up independently, Alison worked for 16 years as a Senior Researcher-Academic in Bristol Medical School at the University of Bristol. Earlier in her career, Alison had several NHS roles, including as a person-centred counsellor, an assistant psychologist, and a mental health therapy assistant.