Domestic abuse workshops

Dec 11 2009 by Edwin Lawrence, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

ISSUES surrounding domestic abuse were brought vividly to life for NHS Ayrshire and Arran staff at a series of educational drama workshops.

Ayr Hospital, Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine and Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock all hosted workshops aimed at helping staff recognise the signs of domestic abuse.

The workshops were arranged by NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s gender-based violence strategy group, with health promotion officer Jennifer Stevenson taking the lead.

Each workshop involved a short introduction,followed by a 30-minute drama written and performed by the Glasgow-based PACE Theatre Company.

The play focused on a husband and wife, and demonstrated how one partner’s emotionally controlling behaviour affected the other’s self-esteem and self-confidence and had a negative impact on her performance at work.

Grace Moore MBE, assistant director of public health at NHS Ayrshire and Arran said: “Domestic abuse is an issue which can have serious effects on people’s lives both at home and at work.

“Recognising the signs of abuse can be difficult, and people who are suffering abuse are often reluctant to talk about their problems out of fear of an escalation of the abuse.

“The idea behind presenting the issue in drama was to spark a ‘lightbulb moment’ for staff, where some of the elements of the story might help them to recognise the signs of abuse among friends, family or people they come into contact with at work.”

The workshops were funded by the Scottish Government’s Working Well Challenge Fund, which provides financial support to NHS Scotland initiatives aimed at improving workplace wellbeing and reducing violence against staff.

The workshops will help NHS Ayrshire an Arran achieve the silver-level Healthy Working Lives Award, which recognises organisations which have taken steps to improve workplace health and wellbeing.