Better practice in responding to family violence

We conducted research to learn about the experiences of water customers affected by family violence following the 2017 changes to the water customer service codes. We aimed to find out if these changes benefited water customers affected by family violence.

Financial counsellors, customer advocates and frontline family violence service providers across Victoria told us how the code changes have worked in practice for water customers affected by family violence.
Evaluating the experiences of customers allowed us to see the benefits of the intended outcomes and highlighted areas for improvement.

Overall the research was positive and endorsed the code changes. The majority of interviewees said that since the code changes they had noticed the support offered by water businesses for customers affected by family violence had improved.

The research also highlighted areas for improvement that are addressed in this guide:

• Customers are not always aware of the assistance available to them. Interviewees agreed that most customers have limited awareness about the assistance available. This is considered one of the main barriers to accessing assistance. (See ‘Promote the options available to customers’ in ‘Principle Five: Acknowledge and address barriers to access’ for recommendations on how to address this issue.)
• Some customers still don’t trust businesses to keep their personal information safe. Victim-survivors living in remote and regional Victoria were especially concerned about the confidentiality of their information. Financial counsellors and customer advocates thought that this is because in smaller communities customers were more likely to know water business staff or staff were more likely to know the perpetrator. (See ‘Protect private and confidential information’ in ‘Principle Three: Prioritise safety and choice for victim-survivors’ for recommendations on how to address this issue.)
• Some groups face greater difficulties when trying to get access to assistance. Interviewees reported a broad range of people seeking support services due to family violence. These people represented varied ages, ethnicities, family situations and socioeconomic situations. Interviewees recognised certain groups, such as people from non-English speaking backgrounds, older people and people living with a disability, experienced greater barriers to accessing support. (See ‘Provide support that is inclusive for all Victorians’ in ‘Principle Five: Acknowledge and address barriers to access’ for recommendations on how to address this issue.)