Better practice in responding to family violence

Family violence provisions: clause 14 Customer service code – urban water businesses 2017; and clause 11 Rural water customer service code 2017.

A water business must have and implement a family violence policy.

As a minimum, the policy must:

1. provide that all relevant staff have ongoing training to:
   1.  identify customers affected by family violence;
   2. deal appropriately with customers affected by family violence; and
   3. apply the water business's family violence policy and related policies and procedures to customers affected by family violence;
2. identify the support the water business will provide to staff affected by family violence, including any training, leave, external referrals and counselling available;
3. promote customer safety by providing for the secure handling of information about those affected by family violence, including in a manner that maintains confidentiality;
4. specify the water business's approach to debt management and recovery where a customer is affected by family violence, including, but not limited to:
   1. the recovery of debt from customers with joint accounts; and
   2. the circumstances in which debt will be suspended or waived;
5. recognise family violence as a potential cause of payment difficulties and as an eligibility criterion for access to the water business's hardship policy under clause 5.3 and 5.4, and address what payment support will apply to customers affected by family violence;
6. provide for a process that avoids customers having to repeat disclosure of their family violence, and provides for continuity of service; and
7. provide a means for referring customers who may be affected by family violence to specialist family violence services.

A water business must:

8. publish on its website, and keep up to date, the assistance and referrals available to customers affected by family violence and how customers may access such assistance;
9. provide a copy of the policy to a customer upon request; and
10. provide for a periodic review mechanism of the policy and its associated procedures.