Vulnerable Persons Policy
What is Vulnerability?
A vulnerable customer is someone who, due to their personal circumstances, may be especially susceptible to detriment if we do not act with appropriate care. Vulnerability can be temporary, permanent, or situational, and may not always be obvious to the customer themselves.
Examples include customers who:
Examples
- Have mental health conditions, dementia, or other cognitive difficulties
- Are experiencing stress, bereavement, relationship changes, or financial shock
- Have physical impairments, long-term illnesses, or disabilities
- Are financially inexperienced or over-indebted
- Have responsibilities for others, such as carers or acting under Power of Attorney
- Have limited access to technology or poor language skills
- Are under 18 or over 75
How We Support Vulnerable Customers
When we identify a customer as potentially vulnerable, we take steps to prevent harm and help them get the best outcome:
Our approach
- Offering extra time to explain advice and answer questions
- Checking that the customer understands the information provided
- Allowing a family member, friend, or professional to be present
- Adapting communication methods (e.g., large print, simpler language)
- Referring to third-party specialists where necessary
Signposting to external support
We also signpost customers to external organisations for additional support, including health, debt, and safeguarding services.
Training and Awareness
All our staff are trained to:
Training
- Recognise signs of vulnerability
- Follow this policy when supporting customers
- Escalate concerns to our Compliance team if needed
Continuous improvement
We continually review our practices to learn from experience, monitor outcomes, and improve support for vulnerable customers.
External Support & Signposting
If you need additional help, we can guide you to organisations such as:
By category
- Health: NHS 111, Macmillan Cancer Support, British Heart Foundation
- Mental Health: Mind, Samaritans
- Debt Advice: Citizens Advice, Money Advice Service
- Safeguarding: Refuge, Victim Support, Unseen UK
Full list of support organisations
For a full list of support organisations, please see our External Support page.