Westpac NZ’s Pioneering Response to Domestic Violence

We are excited to showcase how different DVFREE Tick Partner organisations are implementing DVFREE in our e-news, beginning with this feature on our original DVFREE Tick Partner, Westpac NZ.

“It stands out to me that nearly half of people experiencing violence at home are likely to talk to a work colleague. That makes it all the more important that our employees know we are an organisation that is approachable and will be understanding through tough times.  Our DVFREE Tick is an ongoing commitment to our people that we will show care in their time of need.”     

                                                                                                          -    Catherine McGrath, Westpac NZ Chief Executive

Piloting the DVFREE Tick Partnership

In October 2017, Westpac NZ became our very first DVFREE Tick Partner organisation - marking a milestone in their ongoing journey to address the pervasive issue of domestic violence for their employees, customers and the community.

The year before, then-GM Human Resources Gina Dellabarca, reached out to Shine to see what support we could offer. Holly Carrington recalls, “I was really impressed by how passionate and determined Gina was for the bank to do more and do better in this area.”

Shine consulted on Westpac NZ’s workplace family violence policy and delivered a training session for their leaders – who were keen to do more. At Shine’s suggestion, the bank recruited a team of staff to provide peer support to employees experiencing domestic violence and to be champions on the issue. This was the inaugural group of Westpac NZ ‘First Responders’ (now called ‘Contact People’) trained by Shine.

Shine wanted a way to encourage and support excellent and sustainable workplace responses to family violence. The team at Westpac NZ immediately agreed to Shine’s proposal to for the bank to pilot the DVFREE Tick Partnership. This process allowed us to road-test the DVFREE guidelines’ recommendations with a large employer to make sure there were no unforeseen obstacles or unintended outcomes.

A series of meetings between Shine and Westpac NZ refined the DVFREE Tick recommendations, with Shine reviewing the bank’s implementation of the criteria, demonstrating feasibility and benefits of the DVFREE Tick Partnership Programme. This partnership paved the way for many others to follow.

From the beginning, Westpac NZ made full use of their Protective Services Team to support employees experiencing domestic violence. The then-Team Leader had years of Police experience responding to domestic violence, and had seen the harm it caused. His team worked with Contact People (First Responders) to support and protect employees beyond the DVFREE Tick requirements, from supporting them to report an incident to police, to reviewing and funding improvements to their home security. Mark Richards, Executive Protection & Event Security Manager, says:

“Since joining the Westpac Protective Security team in October 2020, I have been deeply impressed by the incredible work being done in collaboration with Shine to support staff who require various levels of security advice. After my departure from the NZ Police in 2018, the DVFREE Tick Partnership with Westpac was the first time I encountered this level of support within a corporate environment. While Protective Services may play a small part in the broader circle of support, we believe our role goes beyond just providing security. We aim to create a safe space for support, where staff can begin their healing journey, empowering them to take the crucial next steps towards recovery and freedom."

Training managers is a vital part of the DVFREE Tick, and the Westpac team loved our idea of accrediting their internal trainers to deliver this training, so also piloted this option. David Rigg, Morgan Harrison, and Frances Wilson are Westpac’s accredited DVFREE trainers, with David and Morgan having been in this role for a number of years. Learning Programme Lead Frances Wilson has recently been accredited and shares her experience of the process:

“I felt incredibly supported by Shine as I worked through the certification process to facilitate DVFREE. They made me feel so at ease throughout their 3 observations, and the feedback you receive is invaluable and improves your delivery both as a facilitator and as someone managing a sensitive topic. They also invited me for a session at Shine with the team where I could ask lots of questions, and they continue to very warmly receive any questions I send through. I am deeply grateful to the Shine team for all their support in facilitating DVFREE.”

While live training is always ideal for an introduction to this sensitive topic, Shine recognised that this was particularly challenging for larger employers, and created the option for Tick Partner manager training via e-modules with the release of the Manager Online Learning Programme for Tick Partners in 2022. However, the bank has remained committed to in-person training delivered by their accredited trainers because, according to David Rigg, Professional Accreditation Manager:

“Our learning team at Westpac feel strongly that the task of building knowledge and understanding support channels surrounding DV is best achieved through a conversation led by a certified facilitator in a safe environment, where people can ask questions. We also find we are frequently contacted after sessions for further guidance once we’ve built rapport and trust with participants.”

The DVFREE Tick was never intended to be just a ‘tick-box exercise’, so being the first DVFREE Tick Partner also meant road-testing ongoing requirements and the annual audit (now bi-annual). According to Morgan Harrison, Senior Manager Employee Experience:

“The Shine DVFREE Tick Audit process brings together many parts of our organisation to ensure our policy, support, and awareness approach is best practice and continues to keep our people safe.  Every Audit cycle we make improvements to our policy, a process, or our approach to awareness and it continually challenges us to do better in this space.”

Beyond the Westpac workplace

Westpac efforts to address domestic violence extend far beyond their workplace:

• The bank’s Learning Experience Design team collaborated with Shine to build the first DVFREE general workplace awareness module in 2018, and completed a complete refresh and redesign in 2023.  This module is available to Westpac staff, to the public via Shine’s website, and to DVFREE Tick partners to upload into their own Learning Management Systems.
• In 2018, Westpac NZ and the Ministry of Justice co-hosted a lunch for public sector agency CEs in Wellington, to promote DVFREE. Then-Chief Executive David McLean and then-GM Gina Dellabarca, as well as Ministry leaders and Shine GM Jane Drumm spoke to about 15 CEs about employers’ role and responsibility to address this issue.
• Westpac NZ participates in Shine’s annual Light It Orange campaign every year, with awareness and fundraising activities, including employees taking part in separate fundraising runs to raise money for Shine across the years.  The bank also participates in the Givealittle Employee Matching Gifts programme, doubling their fundraising team’s efforts. 
• In June 2021, the bank hosted a lunch for business leaders at Auckland headquarters to promote Shine and DVFREE. Speakers included then-CEO David Mclean and then-GM Gina Dellabarca, Dame Silvia Cartwright, business leader icon Theresa Gattung, Shine’s Holly Carrington, and a courageous Westpac employee who told her story of domestic violence and the support she received.
• Ongoing, Westpac NZ is an ambassador for Shine and happily gives guidance and shares their experience with other employers considering implementing the DVFREE Tick.

Westpac Customer Response

In 2020, Westpac began work to establish an ‘Extra Care’ Programme to better support customers needing extra care, including those who experience domestic violence. Shine’s team provided insights into the different ways customers may experience coercive control and economic abuse within the context of family violence and feedback on how the bank might be able to support these customers.   

Most of Westpac’s Extra Care Team are Family Violence Contact People (First Responders) who do the annual DVFREE First Responder training. All frontline staff do online training and regular upskilling sessions about responding to customers who may need extra care, and have intranet access to guides, policies, standards and resources to support extra care for customers who need it.

When frontline staff come across complex situations they can escalate these to the Extra Care Team who can work on these cases and consider actions such as putting a hold on a customer’s withdrawal and/or account. The Extra Care Team have training on other relevant issues such as from Lifeline and Dementia NZ.

Westpac NZ has developed a number of policies and processes to provide extra care needed by customers experiencing domestic violence. For example:

• Extra Care Flag: Frontline staff can use this to identify and record detail for customers who may need extra care, so they can get the right support without repeating their story and requirements, no matter who they speak to in the bank.
• Account opening for customers without ID or proof of address:  This can help customers separate from an abusive partner – a time when they are particularly at risk of further harm – and get a fresh start. These customers can open an account immediately, with further time allowed to provide ID and/or proof of address, with Westpac NZ helping to pay costs to replace documentation, as well as other essentials like clothing and phones.
• Online Banking Abusive Messages in Reference Fields and other abusive behaviour: Westpac NZ Terms & Conditions make clear that financial abuse won’t be tolerated and that the bank will take steps to exit any customer who has been using this behaviour, improperly accessing another person’s money and/or coercing another person. The bank regularly reviews payment fields and contacts customers as needed to implement this policy.
• Linking with other agencies: The Extra Care Team refers to Good Shepherd for assistance with banking solutions like low or no interest loans or financial advocacy for victims of economic harm, as well as to family violence agencies that provide other specialist support for customers experiencing family violence. This team also receives customer referrals from Good Shepherd and family violence services.
• Tools and Resources: Westpac’s website includes Women’s Refuge ‘Shielded Site’ for access to a live chat with no digital footprint, as well as information pages such as: Domestic and family violence, Elder Financial Abuse, Financial Abuse, Abusive Transactions, Five steps to help you through financial separation, and Moving on after a separation | Westpac NZ