FOI request (FOIR-487095119)

Violence at work

Requested Tue 14 February 2023
Responded Tue 14 March 2023

UNISON Violence at Work 2023 FOI Questions

This FOI request refers to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) definition of violence at work https://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/index.htm:

'Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work. This can include verbal abuse or threats as well as physical attacks.'

1. Do you have a policy/policies in place to protect staff from violence at work?

2. Are these policies built into the commissioning process for organisations delivering outsourced services on your behalf?

3. Have you updated your violence at work policies to reflect the increased number of home, remote and flexible workers?

4. If you collect data on violent incidents, how many violent incidents towards staff did you record in 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22?

5. Do you collect equalities data relating to violent incidents towards staff?

6. If so, how many violent incidents did you record for each of the following groups in 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22?

a. BAME Staff

b. Disabled Staff

c. LGBT+ Staff

d. Women Staff

7. Is advice, support, or counselling available for staff who are victims of violence at work?

8. Of those staff who were victims of violent incidents, how many took up the offer of the following in 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22?

a. Advice

b. Support

c. Counselling

9. Are you signed up to UNISON’s 'End Violence at Work Charter':

https://www.unison.org.uk/at-work/local-government/end-violence-at-work-charter

Response

1. Hastings Borough Council does not have one specific policy relating to violence at work. However, several of our policies contain information about keeping yourself safe while at work and there is information available on how to report any incidents of violence that occur.

2. We operate an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) scheme which offers advice, support, counselling, and so on. It is a confidential service and therefore we cannot comment on numbers relating to violence at work as we are not provided this information.

3. Yes

4. We are unable to provide information for each year but do currently have 10 records on our system for incidents that have occurred during the period 2019-2022.

5. Not applicable

6. Not applicable

7. Yes

8. Information not held

9. No