Hospitality staff to be trained to tackle DV in NSW clubs

Hospitality staff from bartenders to restaurant managers working in NSW biggest clubs are being trained to recognise the signs of domestic violence and act upon it.

Bartenders and restaurant managers across some of the state’s biggest clubs will be trained to recognise signs of coercive control and domestic violence in their patrons and colleagues.

Clubs including sporting leagues and RSLs are looking at ways they can better help domestic violence victims and support local shelters

Chief executives from some of Sydney’s biggest clubs came together on Friday to discuss how club staff could be better trained to identify and help victims of domestic violence who are both patrons and colleagues.

The training includes teaching staff to recognise different types of violence and strategies to deal with violent people in the workplace. Staff are also trained which DV support options are available and are able to direct customers to the local shelters.

Southwest Sydney club Mounties began giving all staff specialist domestic violence training three years ago. Mounties executive manager community Arley Carrion identified the need for training in the workplace after escaping an abusive 16-year relationship.

“The whole time I was working in the club industry and people wanted to help but they just didn’t know how,” she said.

“Often in the workplace most people think that it’s happening outside to somebody else, not realising that it’s happening on our doorstep.”

Mounties bartenders Tatiana Haddad (left) and Felicity Tickner have undergone their DV training.

Mounties chief executive Dale Hunt said both staff and patrons had responded well to the training and the club was looking to expand what services they could offer.

“We’ve had about 30 of our staff step forward and say ‘I’ve been through that before and I’m here to help people’,” he said.

“We now have teams in each of our venues of people that have that lived experience and have been given additional training and guidance to further help those in our workplace.”

The domestic violence training model being used by Mounties has been so successful, ClubsNSW is now looking at how it might be replicated across multiple different clubs.

A meeting between club industry stakeholders and NSW Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison occurred last Friday to look how such a training program could be further expanded.

ClubsNSW CEO Rebecca Riant.

ClubsNSW chief executive Rebecca Riant said clubs were ideally placed within communities to help support those impacted by domestic violence.

“Clubs are the central hubs of their communities and are well-placed to equip employees, members and guests with the skills they need to recognise the signs of domestic violence and to provide help quickly and discreetly to those in need,” she said.

“The industry is committed to working together to ensure that club employees and members can access support and resources, and can find refuge in clubs, which have in effect become proxy community centres in many communities.”

Beyond training other clubs across the state are looking at ways they can support local domestic violence organisations.

Bathurst RSL recently renovated a property owned by the group, turning it into crisis accommodation for Veritas House, while multiple clubs have begun offering ‘escape bags’ for anyone in need.

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