Domestic Violence Awareness for Care and Health Staff in Ireland

This guide covers Ireland. For the UK equivalent, see our guide: Domestic Abuse Awareness Training for Care and Healthcare Staff.

Care and health staff may meet people who are affected by domestic violence and abuse, whether service users, relatives or colleagues. This guide covers the Domestic Violence Act 2018, the court orders it provides, how the HSE and An Garda Síochána describe recognising and responding to abuse, and the supports that are named on official Irish pages. If you are looking for the employee entitlement to paid leave, see our separate guide to domestic violence leave in Ireland.

This is awareness information for staff, managers and HR teams in Dublin and nationally. It is not legal advice. Always follow your own service's safeguarding policy, and in an emergency call 999 or 112.

The Domestic Violence Act 2018 at a glance

The Domestic Violence Act 2018 replaced the Domestic Violence Act 1996 and its 2002 amending Act. The consolidated text on the Law Reform Commission's Revised Acts site (updated to 2 September 2024) records that it was commenced on 1 January 2019. The Act does not contain a single general definition of domestic violence. Instead, it sets out the conduct a court considers, and who may apply for each order. Section 5(2) lists factors the court must consider, such as history of violence, relevant convictions, substance abuse, access to weapons and whether the applicant is economically dependent on the respondent.

The Act covers spouses and civil partners, people who are or were in an intimate relationship (a relationship does not stop being intimate only because it is no longer sexual), and, for some orders, a parent of an adult respondent, a parent of the respondent's child, and an adult living with the respondent in a non-contractual relationship.

Orders available under the Act

The Courts Service guide on understanding court orders (page last reviewed 7 April 2026) and the Act itself describe five orders. Most applications are made in the District Court.

The Act also lets Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, apply for safety, barring or emergency barring orders on behalf of an aggrieved person in the circumstances set out in section 11. Under section 12, a court can direct Tusla to investigate the circumstances of a dependent person, after which Tusla must consider applying for a care or supervision order, providing services, or taking other action.

Civil proceedings under the Act are heard otherwise than in public (section 23). Breaching an order is an offence under section 33, punishable on summary conviction by a fine, up to 12 months' imprisonment, or both. Section 35 allows a Garda who has reasonable cause to believe that an offence under section 33 is being or has been committed to arrest the respondent without warrant, on a complaint being made by or on behalf of the person.

Coercive control

Section 39 of the Act creates the offence of coercive control. A person commits it by knowingly and persistently engaging in behaviour that is controlling or coercive, has a serious effect on a relevant person, and that a reasonable person would consider likely to have a serious effect. "Serious effect" means causing the person to fear that violence will be used against them, or causing serious alarm or distress that substantially affects their usual day-to-day activities. The Act sets the penalty at a fine, up to 12 months' imprisonment, or both on summary conviction, and a fine, up to 5 years' imprisonment, or both on indictment. This is why recognising non-physical abuse matters: it can be a crime without any physical injury.

How staff recognise domestic abuse

The HSE's page on domestic violence and abuse (last reviewed 1 September 2022, with the next review shown as due in 2025) lists types of abuse that include emotional, sexual and physical abuse, neglect, financial and economic abuse, coercive control and elder abuse. It gives these examples of signs:

• Emotional: constant criticism, belongings being destroyed, being controlled or put down.
• Physical: being pushed, punched, slapped, beaten, or having hair pulled.
• Coercive control: being isolated from friends and family, having basic needs withheld, being monitored online or through spyware, having finances controlled, and receiving threats or intimidation.

Our suggestion: treat these as prompts to notice and record, not as proof. In care settings, add the possibility that the person causing harm may be a relative, partner or visitor, and that the person affected may be a service user, a family member or a colleague. The HSE's list includes elder abuse, so abuse involving older adults can fall under both domestic abuse and adult safeguarding. Our guide to safeguarding vulnerable adults training in Ireland covers that wider picture.

How staff respond

Several official pages give practical pointers.

• Immediate danger: the Garda site says to call 999 or 112. Where there is no immediate danger, a person can call or visit a local Garda station and can ask to speak with a Garda in private.
• Professionals sharing information: the Garda page for professionals who believe a client is a victim says the Data Protection Act 2018 "is not a barrier to justified information sharing". It advises basing decisions on the safety and wellbeing of the individual and others, seeking consent where possible unless that would be unsafe or inappropriate, sharing only what is necessary and proportionate, and recording your decision and reasons whether or not you share.
• A workplace example: the HSE Policy on Domestic Violence for Public Health Service Employees (January 2024) asks managers to start a sensitive, non-judgemental conversation in private, to keep disclosures confidential, to avoid acting as a counsellor or problem solver, and to refer employees to specialist services. It also says confidentiality has limits where child or vulnerable adult safeguarding duties or urgent safety risks arise, and that the employee is told why.
• Children in the household: Tusla's guidance says a concern about a child can be reported to the local social work duty service. Its page on mandated reports says the threshold is knowledge, belief or reasonable suspicion that a child has been, is being or is at risk of being harmed, where the harm seriously affects, or is likely to seriously affect, the child's health, development or welfare, and that all sexual abuse concerns must be reported.

Our suggestion, drawing on the HSE employee policy: speak in private and without judgement, avoid promising confidentiality you cannot keep, and pass the concern to your safeguarding lead rather than trying to resolve it yourself.

Supports named on official pages

The HSE's domestic, sexual and gender-based violence support page (last reviewed 27 May 2025) and the Garda pages list these national contacts:

• Women's Aid Freephone, 24 hours: 1800 341 900 (written 1800 34 19 00 on the HSE page).
• National Rape Crisis Helpline Freephone, 24 hours: 1800 77 88 88.
• Men's Aid, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm: 01 554 3811.
• National Male Advice Line: 1800 81 65 88 (hours are on the HSE page).
• Crime Victims Helpline: 116006. Safe Ireland: 01 578 3001. Both are listed on the Garda page for professionals.
• Garda Confidential Line: 1800 666 111.

The HSE page also names Dublin services, including Sonas Domestic Violence Charity (1800 22 22 23) and Aoibhneas (1800 76 77 67). Separately, it describes a Safe Pharmacy service that offers "a safe phone, in a safe place" in community pharmacies. Women's Aid, Men's Aid and Safe Ireland are charities, named here because official pages list them. Tusla's own page says it administers and funds services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, including refuges and safe home services, community-based domestic violence services and rape crisis or sexual violence services.

The Garda page on reporting says that for coercive control, Gardaí take a statement, investigate and gather evidence, then send a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who decides whether to charge.

Workplace responsibilities

This guide does not set out a general list of statutory employer duties for responding to domestic abuse, so check the current legislation and Health and Safety Authority guidance. The HSE policy above is an example of what one large public employer expects. It covers confidentiality, manager conversations, flexible hours or location, changed work contact details, additional safety measures, access to an Employee Assistance Programme, and paid leave of up to 5 days in any 12-month period under that policy. Those are HSE policy terms, not a statement of what every employer must do. For statutory leave, use the domestic violence leave guide linked at the top of this page.

Our suggestion for Dublin employers and care providers: have a short written procedure, make sure managers know the supports above, keep records secure and limited to what is needed, and make clear to staff that nobody is required to disclose. If a staff member raises concerns about how a domestic abuse concern was handled, our guide to the Protected Disclosures Act for healthcare employers explains the wider framework.

Learnsignal's offices are off Baggot Street in Dublin, and we offer in-person training from there. For current details, see our CPD pages.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a safety order and a barring order?

The Courts Service says a safety order directs the respondent to stop violence or threats and does not order them out of the home, while a barring order directs the respondent to leave, or stay away from, the home. A safety order can last up to 5 years and a barring order up to 3 years, and both can be renewed.

Can Tusla apply for an order on someone's behalf?

Yes. Section 11 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 allows Tusla to apply for safety, barring or emergency barring orders on behalf of an aggrieved person in the circumstances set out in that section.

Can I share a service user's information with the Gardaí?

The Garda page for professionals says the Data Protection Act 2018 is not a barrier to justified information sharing, and that disclosure should be necessary and proportionate. It advises seeking consent where possible, unless that would be unsafe or inappropriate, and recording your reasons. Check your own service's policy and seek advice from your data protection contact.

Is coercive control a crime in Ireland?

Yes. Section 39 of the 2018 Act makes coercive control an offence where the behaviour is knowing and persistent, has a serious effect on a relevant person, and a reasonable person would consider a serious effect likely. The Act does not require physical violence.

Noticing, listening and referring are the core skills. Know your service's procedure and the contacts above before you need them.