Session 6 Organisational/Institutional Abuse

In this session, we explore how abuse can happen within organisations and institutions, and how these settings can shape the way harm is carried out, hidden, or allowed to continue. We’ll make a clear distinction between the two: Organisational abuse happens within a group, service, workplace, or structured setting where policies, culture, leadership, or poor safeguarding can enable harm. Institutional abuse is when harm becomes linked to the wider system itself—where rules, routines, power structures, or “the way things are done” protect the setting more than the people in it. We’ll also look at how they are similar: both often involve power, control, silence, fear of consequences, and a strong pressure to comply—especially when the abuser is seen as important, respected, or untouchable. Building on the earlier sessions, you’ll learn how the patterns found in all forms of abuse (grooming, coercion, manipulation, threats, shame, and isolation) can look different when the abuser is a person in a position of trust—or when the setting itself makes it harder to speak up or be believed. This session supports: Victims/survivors to recognise that what’s happening is abuse, even when it’s wrapped in “authority,” “policy,” or “professionalism.” People in positions of trust to understand the impact of their actions, the responsibility that comes with power, and how misuse of trust causes deep and lasting harm. By the end, you’ll be better able to identify warning signs, understand why these situations can feel confusing or impossible to challenge, and recognise what safer, accountable practice should look like.