Complaints Procedures

At the signing of the Service Agreement, I will provide a written copy of the complaints procedure to the Participant and/or their Representative/Nominee, and will explain it in detail.

 

Should a complaint be made, I will explain to the Participant and/or their Representative/Nominee all the steps which will be taken to resolve the issue and obtain their consent before any action is taken.

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I, acting as the Service Manager, will provide a Complaint Form for completion and signature by the complainant.​

 

Problems which may constitute a complaint or grievance could include:

• Physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse or harassment, invasion of privacy, discrimination, deprivation of choice, lack of respect for an individual’s dignity, repeated tardiness, patronizing language, unsafe driving practices, unwelcome imposition of will, offensive language, smoking, etc. or any practice objected to by the person using the Service.

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Resolving a Complaint

• All complaints will be dealt with as soon as possible and as informally as possible and must maintain the privacy and confidentiality of all persons concerned.

• Participants may have a Representative/Nominee to provide support during any part of the complaint process. If they do not have a Representative/Nominee within their network, the Service will provide details of Advocacy Agencies with the area.

All complaints whether formal or informal must be:

• Undertaken in a fair and positive manner with confidentiality maintained throughout the process.

• Approached in a positive way, with the aim of resolving the complaint in an appropriatemanner.

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Complaints about a Support Coordinator

• If the complaint is against the Support Coordinator and cannot be resolved by discussion with the person, the complainant may make a complaint to the appropriate External Agency who will attempt to resolve the matter. If it cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant, the matter will be referred to the NDIS Commission as soon as practicable for further action.

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Referral to External Agencies

External Agencies include:

• Independent Advocacy North Queensland 

  • Independent Advocacy NQ

  • intake@ianq.org.au  or (07) 4725 2505

• NDIS Commission 

  • Complaints Form

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If the complaint is to be addressed formally, the appropriate External Agency will investigate and meet with the person concerned.

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A final statement of outcome and resolutions of each grievance process must be signed off by all parties, and entered into the Complaints Register and, if indicated, the Continuous Improvement Register. This will signify the completion of the current grievance process.

 

Role of Independent Support Person during grievance resolution

Prior to the first meeting, a complainant will be offered the opportunity to include an independent person/s to support them at meetings.

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Grievance Meeting Process

The Stakeholders involved in the complaint will:

• Establish the role of the support person or of each person if there is more than one.

• Outline the process that is to be followed.

• Inform the parties that any information obtained in the conduct of the meeting is confidential.

• Take accurate and detailed notes of all conversations including dates, people involved and attach any supporting documentation.

• If deemed necessary, provide the complainant with a written summary of the meeting and clarification of the next steps to be taken.

• At the conclusion of the Grievance process the resulting agreed outcome and planned actions will be recorded, signed and copies supplied to all parties.

• This will be reported on the register and a timetable agreed upon for a review of the resulting actions.

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Feedback about the Complaints process

Persons involved in a complaints process will be provided with a Feedback Form to document their level of satisfaction with the complaints processes.

Persons involved in a complaints process will have access to a later review of any resulting corrective action/s taken.

 

Appeals Process:

If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of their complaint they have the right to request that the Service review the process.

• The complainant will also be provided information about their right to contact the relevant external authority.