Northamptonshire housing association Greatwell Homes has introduced new safety measures for frontline staff following feedback gathered through the Northamptonshire Women’s Charter.
The housing association, which operates across Northamptonshire, received almost 60 responses from its workforce through the charter’s Women’s Safety Survey.
As a result, all frontline staff have received training in conflict management, de-escalation and personal safety when working in the community.
The training includes basic self-defence techniques and guidance on managing situations involving verbal abuse.
Greatwell Homes is also considering further measures to improve the safety of frontline employees and members of the public.
Frontline housing staff safety
The housing association joined the Northamptonshire Women’s Charter, a campaign led by Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone to improve the safety of women and girls across the county.
Feedback from the survey has been used to develop a seven-step plan addressing concerns raised by staff about safety at work and when visiting communities.
Jo Savage, Chief Executive of Greatwell Homes, said: “The safety of our colleagues and customers has always been a top priority for Greatwell Homes, but particularly now where we are sadly seeing a rise in aggression towards our colleagues.
“We’ve surveyed our colleagues about their safety priorities when at work and in our communities and have created a seven-step plan to address those concerns.
“Using this insight, as well as the expertise of Northamptonshire Police and partners, we have been able to quickly put these training sessions in place to give our colleagues increased confidence in dealing with these stressful situations if they do arise.
“However, we know that doesn’t eliminate the risk of these situations happening so as a direct suggestion from our frontline colleagues, we are looking into additional methods to increase safety for frontline staff. We won’t stop there and will continue to discuss safety, and use the tools given to us from the Women’s Safety Charter to continue to maximise safety of our colleagues, customers and communities.”
Housing and community safety
The measures form part of Greatwell Homes’ wider approach to supporting employees who work directly with residents and communities.
The Northamptonshire Women’s Charter now has 118 members, who have access to a training portal and webinars aimed at supporting organisations to improve safety.
Danielle Stone said: “Greatwell Homes were among the first signatories to join the Northamptonshire Women’s Charter and have taken my campaign in their stride to do better for women in this county.
“By listening to their female colleagues, and asking them what they want to see at work to make them feel safer, senior leaders have made a clear commitment to empower their workforce and make them feel secure and supported.”
