We are committed to taking extra care with customers who experience vulnerability. We recognise that a person’s vulnerabilities can give rise to unique needs, and that their needs can change over time and in response to particular situations.
A person’s vulnerability may be due to a range of factors such as:
- age;
- disability;
- mental health conditions;
- physical health conditions;
- family violence;
- language barriers;
- literacy barriers;
- cultural background;
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status;
- remote location; or
- financial distress.
We encourage you to tell us about your vulnerability so that we can work with you to arrange support — otherwise, there is a risk that we may not find out about it.
Support Measures
- If you tell us, or we identify, that due to a vulnerability you need additional support or assistance, we will work with you and try to find a suitable, sensitive and compassionate way for us to proceed. We will do this as early as practicable and we will protect your right to privacy.
- If you tell us, or we identify, that you need additional support from someone else (for example, a lawyer, consumer representative, interpreter or friend), then we will recognise this and allow for it in all reasonable ways. We will try to make sure our processes are flexible enough to recognise the authority of your support person.
Protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information is important to us.
You can contact us on 1300 328 042 anytime (we are here for you 24/7/365).
Or you can email us on [email protected] where your issue or idea will be considered by the appropriate dedicated team.
Family Violence Policy
Support for our customers
We offer additional support measures to customers affected by family violence. If your pet insurance policy is administered by Trupanion, and you are affected by family violence, you can access this support by calling 1300 328 042 or emailing us on [email protected].
Trupanion’s commitment to you
We are committed to providing support to our customers affected by family violence. We will achieve this through training and support of our employees, engaging you with sensitivity, dignity, respect and compassion while protecting your information and privacy. We will also refer you to specialist support services that can help you with family violence, details of which can be found below.
Your safety is paramount to us
Whenever family violence is identified or suspected, our priority is the safety of the person affected and the protection of their family. We will strive for the early recognition of family violence, and we encourage you to tell us if you are affected so we can help you.
How we will deliver on our commitment
- We will ensure that any disclosure of information to us, request for support made under this policy, and private information we already have on file is kept confidential and secure. We will ensure any information provided to us in relation to situations of family violence is used solely for the purpose of assessing the individual needs of that customer.
- We will ensure our employees of Trupanion are trained so that they are aware of our family violence procedures and can identify and deal appropriately and sensitively with customers affected by family violence.
- We will minimise the number of times that our customers need to tell us that they have been affected by family violence.
- We will work with customers affected by family violence to try to find a suitable, sensitive and compassionate way to respond to your needs under your insurance policy.
- Our claims handling processes will be considerate and sensitive should our customers affected by family violence need to make a claim under their insurance policy with us.
- We will ensure customers affected by family violence also have access to Financial Hardship assistance and support if they are experiencing financial difficulties in relation to their insurance policy.
- We will inform our customers, as well as employees of Trupanion, about information and support processes available to assist our customers experiencing family violence.
- We will refer our customers, as well as employees, to specialist organisations who can offer support and advice for those experiencing family violence, details of which can be found below.
- We will support our employees who are affected by family violence or where they have assisted a customer affected by family violence.
- Where a customer tells us, or it is identified that a customer needs additional support from someone else (for example, a lawyer, friend or support organisation) we will recognise this and allow for flexibility of our processes where we can. This will not affect a customer’s right to privacy of their information.
What is family violence?
Family violence is “violent, threatening or other behaviour by a person that coerces or controls a member of the person’s family or causes the family member to be fearful.”*
Family violence includes physical violence, emotional or psychological abuse, financial or economic abuse and damage to property.
Specialist support services
If you are in danger or if you are not feeling safe, call 000.
The following organisations offer free family violence support services:
- 1800RESPECT: http://www.1800respect.org.au or at 1800 737 732 (24hrs)
- National Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault helpline: 1800 200 526 (24hrs)
- Domestic Violence Crisis Service: http://www.dvrcv.org.au/domestic-violence-crisis-service or 1300
782 200 ( 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday) or 131 611 (after hours Crisis Care) - Family Violence Response and Counselling Referral Line: 1800 633 937 (24hrs)
- Lifeline: http://www.lifeline.org.au or 13 11 14
- Relationships Australia: http://www.relationships.org.au or 1300 364 277
- DVConnect Mensline: http://www.dvconnect.org/mensline or 1800 600 636 (9am – midnight, 7
days) - MensLine Australia: http://www.mensline.org.au or 1300 789 978 (24 hrs)
- LGBTQIA Support for Domestic Violence: 1800 063 060
* Family Law Act 1976 (CTH), section 4AB