I think they have the wrong end of the stick. Why would an employee need to report domestic abuse of an employee? If they have concerns about an employee who seems to be abused at home it is very difficult for the employer to start intruding into the employees private life. That is not to say the employer should ignore it, but simply approach the employee and ask if the company can help in any way. There is no duty on the employer that affects the private life of an individual unless it affects that person ability to undertake his/her normal work. It then becomes a HR issue more that a H&S one. If you are in the position of visiting someones home and discover that someone is being abused, again very dodgy ground without proof, then you should alert the proper authorities who will then investigate.

I wonder what the definition of "young employee" would be and why that restriction would be applied. Such things properly belong with Education Authorities and Social Workers. In an adult world, only the person being abused can break the cycle of abuse.

I wonder if this relates to the responsibilities for inter-agency co-operation that sort of arise of the Child Protection Act and the Children Act etc.

Any undertaking that employs vulnerable people (in this case one who is under 18 ) should have procedures that outline the why, what, who, how and when. Clearly the level of contact, type of activity etc are all factors that would determine the extent. For most a simple one page document and some basci instruction would suffice. For others the policy is as complex as any H&S system. One of the key parts of any such policy is the training of staff to recognise signs and what to do when they do. This link gives some background but just try searching on safeguarding children. n.b. for the purposes of safeguarding a child is one under 18 unlike in H&S where we have child and young person as separate status. http://www.safenetwork.o...dvice/Pages/default.aspx p48