Feedback, Complaints & Appeals Policy

 

Definitions

Allegation – a claim that an illegal act has occurred. Allegations are always investigated and sometimes an external authority undertakes the investigation such as the police.

Concern – a notification that a client is worried that something is not working, has gone wrong or is otherwise not as it should be.

Complaint – formal advice that an incident has occurred, something is not working the way it should, something is inappropriate, or someone is at risk. A serious incident process is required for legal and contractual purposes when a complaint is about a serious incident.

 

Principles

  • Everyone has the right to provide feedback, complain or appeal a decision.
  • Clients making complaints should be supported to access the complaints process.
  • Complaints processes should be sensitive to any cultural requirements.
  • Feedback & complaints processes and systems are an important part of quality service management and help safeguard clients.
  • Complaints identify risks to clients but also visitors and staff as well as supporting Five Bridges to meet its occupational health and safety obligations.
  • Feedback and complaints identify opportunities for Five Bridges to continuously improve its services.
     

Policy

Our services encourage feedback from our staff, clients, and stakeholders. Feedback can be provided to us by individual clients, their advocates, or stakeholders on their own initiative or in response to a formal survey process undertaken by Five Bridges.

Five Bridges values feedback and complaints from people who use our services, families, carers, referring service providers and funding bodies to ensure people are treated fairly when they use our services.

Complaints and feedback are an important source of information and are used to improve our services wherever possible.

Five Bridges has developed a range of documents that promotes the process for our clients to provide feedback, complaints and if required undertake the appeals processes. Our MSMSS and ASP Client Welcome Kits include a service brochure, Clients Rights & Responsibilities Statement, Feedback & Complaints Easy Read Guide, and other information sources such as our website. This information covers how clients can if they feel necessary escalate their complaint to relevant external agencies.

These publications are in designed in formats that are easily read and understood by clients using our services.

Five Bridges will respect client’s right to privacy and confidentiality in managing their feedback and complaints and all such information is securely stored in line with our documented records & information processes.

 

Procedure

Complaints or feedback can be received verbally, in writing or another way that suits the person providing the feedback or making a complaint. Families, carers, referring organisations and advocates can also complain on behalf of the client that they support.

If someone talks to a staff member to make a complaint, that staff member is responsible for recording the key information within their relevant services Case Management Systems, Feedback & Complaints Register and following procedures.

Complaints should be documented on a Feedback & Complaint Form within 24 hours of being made. It is important that the staff member checks with the person making a complaint that the relevant information has been recorded accurately.

Should the feedback or complaint be anonymous the focus of the process will be on successfully addressing the key issues raised and not identifying the source.

Any anonymous feedback or complaints should also be documented within the relevant services Feedback & Complaints Register.

Complaint information is private and must not be shared with people outside of the complaints process.

The Community Programs Manager will contact the person lodging the complaint within five working days to discuss the matter.

Details of the complaint and any response will be documented. The Community Programs Manager and relevant staff will work with the person lodging the complaint to identify desirable outcomes to resolve the complaint within three weeks (21 days).

If the complaint is against a staff member that person will not have contact with the complainant while the complaint is resolved.

At any stage of the complaints process, the complainant can receive support from an independent advocate.

Where a matter needs to be referred to an outside agency or otherwise investigated, all staff will cooperate with the inquiry and produce material requested.

There are systems and reporting Incident Management requirements for:

  • serious incidents
  • allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation
  • theft
  • accidents, injuries, or death

The Community Programs Manager will decide whether other Policies and Procedures apply such as Safeguarding and determine whether measures need to be included in a Risk Management Plan (Risk Register).

The client and other stakeholders involved in the process will be advised of the outcome of a complaint in writing within 30 days of completing the assessment of the complaint.

Five Bridges will never discontinue, reduce, or in any other way take any recriminatory action in relation to a client or any other stakeholder making a complaint. We will only take action, if a complaint raises an issue, to ensure the safety of clients and others, or to prevent harm to the same.

All client contact staff and Five Bridges Board Members will be required to undertake an awareness building process covering the services client feedback, complaints & appeals documentation during their induction period. Further training and supervision activities will be provided based on identified individual needs.

 

Referring Complaints Externally

If a complaint is made that raises an issue that needs to be externally reported (e.g. abuse), staff will report it to the relevant body.

Clients can, at any time, access an external complaints agency or make a complaint to the department, including if they are not satisfied with how we have responded to their complaints.

Staff can find how clients can make a complaint to the relevant Queensland Government Department by going to the department’s website and searching for complaints. This includes:

  • avenues for escalating a complaint (including to the Queensland Human Rights Commissioner) and options for appealing/asking for review of outcomes
  • processes for referring complaints for external investigation/mediation

If a complainant is unsatisfied with the outcome of their complaint, they may seek review of Five Bridge’s decision by referring their complaint to an external dispute resolution body appointed for this purpose by Five Bridges.

Resolution Institute
(02) 9251 3366 / 180

 

 

 

Useful Links:

Five Bridges Feedback Complaints and Appeals Policy

Brochures and Booklets - Domestic Violence Prevention Centre

Easy Read Decision Making and Choice Guide

Information Collection and Confidentiality Guide

HSQF Standards – Easy Read Booklet