Mounties to tackle DV with Train The Trainer Program

Mounties has committed to establishing a Domestic Family Sexual Violence (DFSV) Train the Trainer Program for the clubs industry.

“Mounties is gifting free training to any club manager,” Arely Carrion, Mounties Group community executive manager, told Club Management.

While details are still being finalised, Carrion envisions nominated participants will attend a two-day workshop at Mounties where they will meet with DV sector experts and learn about the tools and resources that are necessary to become DFSV champions for their clubs.

Carrion said the program will be focused on creating a network of industry-wide champions who will be able to return to their venues to lead and drive their own DFSV Action Plan.

The program is part of the Mounties Group DFSV Action Plan that’s been spearheaded by Carrion. It was launched in October 2023 to demonstrate the role workplaces can play in identifying and responding to domestic and family violence.

“I experienced violence for 16 years while I worked in the clubs, and nobody knew how to help me,” Carrion said.

“All I want to do is be able to help another person that’s like me, that’s in a relationship, and they can’t get out. They don’t know how to get out. They feel lost. They feel isolated, and they feel trapped.”

Since its launch, Carrion said Mounties has trained over 1,000 staff in DV response and assisted 30 Mounties staff members.

The Australian Financial Review recently reported that even though that for nearly a year all employees across all industries have been entitled to paid domestic violence leave, it is hardly being used.

The AFR conducted a survey with all firms on the ASX 50 about the take-up of the new entitlement. Only 13 revealed their figures, the AFR said, citing the results showed just 0.4 per cent of workers accessed the new leave entitlements in the first 12 months of the policy.

Under new laws passed by the Albanese government in 2022, businesses were legally required to provide at least 10 days of paid leave to staff affected by family and domestic violence from February 2023 and August 2023 respectively.

Putting words into action

In addition to the program, the Mounties Group recently hosted the Catalyst For Change roundtable where over 60 club CEOs and senior managers discussed action plans clubs can put in places to help end DFSV.

“I’ve been working for the last three years trying to connect clubs, and I found that they’re really interested in knowing more and wanting to do more; it’s just they don’t know what to do and how to do it,” Carrion explained.

“I knew to make the biggest impact was to grab the biggest decision makers into the one room.”

They were joined by industry peak bodies, stakeholders, DFSV advocates, and parliamentarians including NSW Women’s Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin, NSW Minister for Women Jodie Harrison, NSW Gaming and Racing minister David Harris, No To Violence research and policy officer Olsen Clarke, Women’s Community Shelters CEO Annabelle Daniel, and more.

“In the DV sector there’s a lot of talk about needing funding from government, but there’s no actual actions, so I thought why don’t I just get people in the same room so we can start talking about it and let’s walk away with action items,” Carrion said.

She explained how each CEO walked away with three action items to achieve and will be held accountable via a large spreadsheet that “all of the managers that were there on the day are filling out”.

Consistency is key

Additionally, Carrion said one of the other main key action items the group agreed on is to establish a Domestic Violence Committee made up of regional and metro stakeholders, so that messaging and information about DV is consistent across the sector.

“So many clubs work in silos … but imagine if we came together and shared what we’re doing and … we could do a club wide campaign on this,” she said.

While these initiatives are focused currently in New South Wales, Carrion said she is open to taking the program national.

She emphasised at the centre of all these initiatives is remembering that “the voices of victims and survivors is at the centre of everything that we do”.

“We need to remember we can get lost in a lot of things, but ensuring that their safety comes first,” she said.

“I think the more informed and educated we are, the better we’re going to be able to respond and support, and the better we can eliminate the excuses for the people that use abuse.”