From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
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Following a successful trial in December, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is launching a new series of vulnerability training courses for the night-time sector beginning next week.
These courses aim to create a safer environment for all, safeguarding the vulnerable and preventing violence against women.
These courses have been developed in partnership with the Licensed Vintners Association, Vintners’ Federation of Ireland, Restaurant Association of Ireland, the County and City Management Association and Give Us the Night and with the support of the Department of Justice and An Garda Síochána.
The Night-Time Economy Taskforce Report, published in September 2021, highlighted the issue of public safety and suggested ways that current structures could support and enhance safety measures.
Speaking today, Minister Catherine Martin said:
“The need to provide a safe environment for all those who work and socialise in our towns and cities is so important and with that in mind, my department is funding a series of vulnerability training courses for the Night-Time Economy Sector.
“I want to encourage all businesses, such as pubs, nightclubs, restaurants and all those engaged in the Night-Time Economy to sign up and take part in this vulnerability training initiative funded by my department.”
The key objective of this course is to enable workers and businesses in the Night-Time Economy to identify the issues around safeguarding and vulnerability management and violence against women. It will provide staff with an increased understanding of their responsibilities and duty of care to vulnerable people and train them on actions that must be taken to reduce identified risk. A series of policy templates in the areas such as incident and vulnerability management will also be available for businesses to download and use.
Minister Martin said:
“I want to assist businesses in the Night-Time Economy to support and protect their staff and customers by identifying issues before they arise and also to have clear policies and procedures in place for when incidents occur.”
This course will benefit all those engaging and working in the Night-Time Economy by ensuring customer safety. It will demonstrate that venues or businesses have a clear commitment to ensuring customer safety which in turn gives more confidence to people socialising at night by providing a safe environment to do so.
Minister Martin continued:
“The safety of women and all customers engaging in the Night-Time Economy needs to be prioritised. People should feel safe when they are out socialising at night without the fear of violence or harassment and that’s why it is important that staff are trained, so they can provide assistance for anyone who finds themselves in a difficult or intimidating situation.”
The course will cover the following topics over a 2 hour webinar via Zoom:
1. The main types of vulnerability found in the Night-Time Economy
2. Safeguarding
3. Adults and children at risk of harm
4. Violence against women and women's safety
5. Drink spiking
6. Responsibilities and duty of care
7. How to respond to the main types of vulnerability and when to call emergency services and report to local authorities
8. Performing a dynamic risk assessment
9. Policies and practices to promote a safe environment for all
This training is open to any person, business or venue operating or working in the Night-Time Economy. There are 6 training sessions available for registration. This initiative aims to provide training to over 600 businesses and staff working and engaging in the Night-Time Economy nationwide.