Member Expectations
Knowing our clients rely on us to ensure they receive the best support possible during difficult circumstances, it is essential that Way Forward maintains an approach that reflects the trust given to us by our clients.
To ensure that Way Forward does this, we expect member institutions and those seeking to become members to support the following principles.
Principle
What this means in practice
Align with Way Forward’s primary guiding principle, our clients must be better off for using our services
The organisation must:
- Treat clients with empathy and consideration without judgement regardless of why they have landed at Way Forward
- Support Way Forward’s recommendations that take into account all of the individual’s debts across multiple creditors
Recognise Way Forward’s role as an independent body assessing the client’s whole situation
The organisation must:
- Make a genuine commitment to accepting any recommendation made by Way Forward in the interest of assisting the client out of financial hardship
- Commit to investigating further and responding appropriately where Way Forward’s analysis suggests that there were problems with the client’s original credit
Adhere to an industry code of conduct or ethics
The organisation must:
- Be a participating member of an external dispute resolution scheme
- Be a member of an industry association and have signed up to the industry association’s code of practice
The organisation treats people fairly and key personnel are committed to assisting vulnerable individuals
The organisation must:
- Have a business model that is not dependent on profiting from, or exploiting, vulnerable clients
- Have no significant compliance or conduct issues with the organisation, including its managers or directors, that would suggest the organisation currently does not treat people fairly
- Not have a reputation for poor treatment of clients
In applying these principles, we recognise that an organisation’s historical performance may not match their aspiration. For these organisations we will consider their demonstrated commitments and efforts to improve.
