BaptistCare (Community Services & Head Offce) earns accreditation as White Ribbon Workplace

BaptistCare, in its ongoing commitment to address domestic and family violence in our communities, has been accredited as a White Ribbon Workplace, at both its Head Office and all Community Services sites.

BaptistCare is one of only 20 Australian organisations to be accredited this year and one of only 65 in total.

As part of the rigorous White Ribbon accreditation process, BaptistCare proved it’s an organisation taking action to prevent and respond to violence against women.

BaptistCare’s strong collaborative approach to prevent violence against women, and its strong policies and process to support and educate staff were commended in the accreditation process.

General Manager of Community Services Rob Ellis said he was delighted that BaptistCare is among some of the first organisations in Australia to achieve the accreditation.

“As a provider of frontline services to women and children affected by family violence, we take the issue of women’s safety and wellbeing in the workplace extremely seriously. The White Ribbon accreditation was an opportunity for us to ensure our values as an organisation are well-aligned with our actions,” he said.

In Australia, on average, one woman is killed every week as a result of intimate partner violence and just this week the ABS released statistics showing more than a third of sexual assaults and homicides recorded across the country last year were related to domestic violence.

“As an organisation we promote a culture of respect and have made a significant investment in not only the services we provide but the policies, processes and training in place to support our staff whether they be the victim of abuse, or a colleague attempting to support them through a traumatic experience,” Mr Ellis said.

“Given the statistics we know that many Australian businesses employ victims of domestic violence so we encourage organisations to participate in the White Ribbon Workplace program.”

BaptistCare will continue to build a culture of respect that prevents violence in all of its forms and ensuring that staff are equipped to recognise, respond and refer in cases of violence against women. BaptistCare is also committed to widen the scope of its accreditation for the whole organisation.

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