Domestic & Family Violence (DFV) is complex and, sadly, ever-adapting through the harmful use of technology. The Telco Industry now has a practical DFV Action Framework, designed to help telcos better support their customers and employees. Comprising four Action Plans, the Framework is suitable for all telcos, regardless of size or type.
Australian telcos have long managed the growing challenge of domestic and family violence, but never before has there been an industry-wide framework like this.
Start here: Take the pledge to join this collaborative industry effort to tackle domestic and family violence.
Don’t stop. Learn more about the DFV Action Framework.
Start here: make the pledge to take action.
Become a signatory to the ‘Telco Industry Domestic and Family Violence Pledge’ and join this collaborative industry effort to tackle domestic and family violence.
If your organisation has already taken steps to end DFV, taking this industry pledge signifies your organisation’s ongoing commitment.
Don’t stop. Download the form and share it with the head of your organisation.
Established by the Telco Together Foundation, the Industry Impact Hub is where industry leaders come together to discuss and take action on collaborative approaches to some of the most complex social challenges confronting our communities.
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Through the Industry Impact Hub we:
The cause areas that have been identified for collaborative action are Domestic & Family Violence and Modern Slavery
We all have a role to play in addressing Domestic & Family Violence.
To create a more consistent experience in our response as telcos to customers and employees impacted by domestic and family violence.
To provide a pathway for improvement, for telcos of any size, either embarking on or strengthening their DFV approach.
To reinforce and support published DFV recommendations and guidelines from industry and DFV-specialist organisations.
To provide an integrated approach to a telco’s response to DFV, across organisational structure, product, culture and training.
To recognise telcos’ efforts towards responding to the issue of DFV.
To educate customers and employees about DFV and measures that can be taken to support people impacted.
Never before has there been an industry-wide framework that assimilates best practice guidance from a diverse group of Government, Industry and Domestic & Family Violence (DFV) Specialist Organisations.
Developed in collaboration with Telstra, Optus, TPG Telecom, Vocus Group and Aussie Broadband, the framework includes a comprehensive and standardised set of guidelines for training telco employees on how to best support victim-survivors and ultimately reduce instances of domestic and family violence.
The Telco Industry DFV Action Framework has been developed in consultation with many organisations from the telco industry, Government and DFV specialist organisations, including:
The eSafety Commissioner (eSafety) is Australia’s national independent regulator and educator for online safety. If you are experiencing online and tech abuse as part of family, domestic and sexual violence, you can find advice and information to help you stay safe online. This includes information about online dating, online safety planning, tech-based FDSV, coercive control and consent.
Visit eSafety.gov.au to find out how to stay safe online and report online abuse.
There is no simple solution to the growing domestic and family violence crisis society is facing, but a telco industry framework is a step towards lasting change.
We all deserve to live in a community that is equal and free, and Telstra is committed to ensuring anyone experiencing domestic and family violence has access to safe and secure communications.
When planning, at an early stage, or reviewing your DFV Action Plan.
Even the most socially responsible telcos have to continuously adapt and evolve to ever-changing environments.
The purpose of the Adapt Action Plan is to plan, review or revise your approach to domestic and family violence within the context of your employees, customers, products, services and business strategy.
Download the detailed overview below.
As a founding member of the Telco Together Foundation, Vocus is proud to be part of the industry’s collaborative stance against domestic and family violence.
While technology can offer a lifeline for anyone experiencing domestic and family violence, it can also be used as a tool for abuse. It’s critical that our industry works together to ensure that those impacted by domestic and family violence can stay safely connected to the people and services that can provide the support they need.
When implementing your DFV Action Plan within your mainstream processes.
Telco products and services are sometimes the only opportunity for customers to interact with employees.
The Embed Action Plan places DFV victim-survivors at the centre of your products and services. With a DFV lens applied across your business you have a pathway to respond to customers and employees within your standard mainstream processes.
Download the detailed overview below.
Domestic and family violence is a destructive force which causes untold harm in our society, and we all have a responsibility to help victim-survivors.
At TPG Telecom, we have processes in place to support customers experiencing or fleeing abuse, and ten days’ domestic violence leave available for our employees.
Collectively we can make a bigger impact and we stand together with other telcos to develop unanimous, industry-wide standards.
When Implementing your DFV Action Plan – tailored to individual circumstances.
In some circumstances, a response that is appropriate to one DFV victim-survivor may be harmful to another. The Tailor Action Plan enables a telco to deviate away from its mainstream processes, with support team(s) authorised to provide customers and employees with a customised individualised response.
Download the detailed overview below.
Domestic and family violence is an insidious blight on Australian society, and some of the emerging trends in technology-facilitated abuse are horrendous and complex.
Under our value of being good to people, we are unequivocally committed to supporting our staff and customers who are experiencing DFV. If we can help other telcos to deliver that same support, we count that as a win for families, for the industry, for Australia.
When extending your DFV Action Plan, wider than your customers and employees.
As an industry we are unique in that we have direct access to nearly every Australian organisation and consumer. That provides an opportunity for a level of responsibility that goes beyond a telco’s own business.
The Influence Action Plan extends your sphere of influence beyond your employees and customer support, to the wider community.
Download the detailed overview below.
This is an incredibly important and complex issue which requires a collaborative approach.
Optus is proud to have contributed to the framework and to see the industry united in its efforts to support those impacted by Domestic and Family Violence.
Industry Impact Hub is an initiative of
Telco Together Foundation.
We are the industry’s foundation for collectively addressing some of the most complex social challenges within our increasingly connected world.
