Over here in NZ, we tend to use connectors that have a screw that holds the wires in a brass ring, this is covered with plastic insulation.
Tinned copper eyelet/fork and splices (bare and insulated) are also used.
Where bare splices are used to join cables, they are covered with thick walled Heatshrink for each core and over the overall sheathing of the cable.
Any joints in a domestic installation is required to be made either at the switchboard or in a suitable wiring enclosure(say a junction box or a flush box). [Linked Image]