Insurance Charities fund Domestic Abuse toolkit
In an ideal world, employers support their staff through whatever professional and personal issues they are faced with. The reality is that many employers simply don’t have the resources or the expertise to provide what is needed and help from others is required.
Issues at home understandably have a negative impact at work, often affecting a person’s professional life. Domestic abuse is one of these issues and is more common than many people realise.
To raise awareness of the signs of domestic abuse and help employers support victims and rehabilitate perpetrators, we are funding a ‘Domestic Abuse toolkit for employers’ created in partnership with Business In The Community (BITC) and Public Health England (PHE).
The toolkit, to be launched to insurance employers in June 2018, will give practical support to employers of all sizes. It is hoped it will significantly improve the lives of those experiencing such distressing circumstances.
| | | In England and Wales, seven women a month are killed by a current or former partner and one in four women and one in six men will experience domestic abuse. | | | The Insurance Institute of Galway have been awarded The Insurance Centenary Shield.
The shield is awarded annually to the institute which has made the most significant contribution to awareness of our charity’s activities and fundraising over the previous year. The shield will be presented to Galway early next year at their annual dinner.
Highly Commended certificates were awarded to The Insurance Institutes of Reading and Mid-Kent. | | | The loneliness taboo
We see first hand, the effects of loneliness. Beneficiaries who call us and haven’t spoken to anyone else for days; those who have been trying to get by but a home visit reveals they aren’t really coping; and those who feel like the world has moved on and left them behind.
| | | A recent report by the BBC estimates 1.2 million people in the UK suffer from ‘chronic loneliness’ putting them at higher risk of poor physical and mental health and costing an estimated £6,000 per person in health costs.
This year we are sending out over 200 hampers to beneficiaries across the UK and Ireland who may be alone and are struggling financially this Christmas. It’s a small gesture that we know makes a difference to them at Christmas. We are also encouraging our beneficiary friends to benefit from our partnership with The Silver Line. In this way, they get to talk to someone regularly and help reduce the sense of isolation. | | Toni lost her son in a tragic accident earlier in the year. He had just started at secondary school and Toni’s world, understandably, fell apart. Toni’s marriage had broken down some time ago and she felt she needed time off work to try to come to terms with all that had happened and support her other child. She had little in reserve to meet ongoing costs and was desperately worried about being without her salary.
Members agreed that The Insurance Charities should help Toni and her family as they started to come to terms with their loss. She is expecting to return to work next spring but is grateful for the time she can spend at home at present following the trauma of recent months. | | | Charities Golf Day
Our annual golf day took place in September at Collingtree Park Golf Club in Northampton. We had a full house, with around 80 players taking part. After almost five hours of golf, the players met back in the clubhouse for dinner and the winners were announced.
Top prize was won by Darren Vickery, from the Insurance Institute of Chelmsford & South Essex, with a score of 42 points. Iwan Jenkins, from Novae, took 2nd place and Jon Cox, in the QuestGates team, took 3rd Place. The winning team was Allianz who will hold the team trophy for the year.
We’ll be announcing the details of next year’s Golf Day in the New Year. | | | Why I became a visitor - Liz Coyle
We depend on our network of volunteers throughout the UK and Ireland to visit those who apply to us for help. Without these volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to reach as many people in need. One of our visitors, Liz Coyle, explains why she volunteers for us.
“I found that working as a visitor for the Insurance Charities enabled me to see first-hand how help is provided and be part of the process of ‘making things better’ through the giving of practical advice and financial support to recipients. We are the face of the charity, and the team in London are the ‘voice’.
All cases are confidential, but over the years I have built up relationships with the people I have visited and looked forward to seeing them again. They say you get back what you put in, and this is definitely true of this role. It is not about being a ‘do-gooder’, but life-enhancing from all sides.”
You can read Liz’s story in full on our website. | | | | | |
