Better practice in responding to family violence

This better practice guide was developed with the support of regulated energy and water businesses, to raise awareness about safe and effective family violence responses. Promoting better practice is part of the Essential Services Commission’s family violence framework, which outlines how we see our role in supporting family violence responses in businesses we regulate.
We worked with the energy, water and community sector to develop a family violence framework based on the collective knowledge gathered through our work program on family violence over the last three years. Through this work program, we sought to articulate our role and our expectations of both sectors in developing safe and effective family violence responses.

The framework also incorporates changes to our energy and water codes following recommendations by Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence. We updated the Water Customer Service Code for Urban Customers, the Rural Customer Service Code and the Energy Retail Code to include minimum requirements for family violence assistance for customers. The Energy Retail Code also includes a family violence assistance entitlement, developed in consultation with the energy sector.

This family violence framework forms our ongoing commitment to working with the water and energy sectors to support collaboration and better practice in responding to family violence.