Quality Strategy Toolkit
for Australian Disability Enterprises
and Disability Employment Services
Home » Quality Strategy Toolkit » Section 4: Complaints and referrals » 4.1: Complaints by participants/supported employees
Although most complaints should be handled by you as the service provider in the first instance, particular complaints may require an external referral. These may include:
In the case of complaints that have not reached a resolution through the service provider's internal systems, the Complaints Resolution and Referral Service (CRRS) will often be an appropriate external referral.
This section provides information about the CRRS and some other complaints handling bodies that may be useful to you when seeking to make an external referral.
| What it investigates: |
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| CRRS is an independent organisation funded by the Australian Government to resolve and investigate complaints about service providers relating to the Disability Services Standards. The CRRS encourages and supports the local resolution of complaints, but can facilitate conciliation between parties or investigate complaints when local resolution is not appropriate. |
How to contact the CRRS: Phone: free call 1800 880 052 or 02 9370 3174 Mail: Locked Bag 2705, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012 Email: crrs@pwd.org.au National Relay Service: Call 1800 555 677 and ask them to call the CRRS for you. Translating and Interpreting Service: Call 13 14 50 and ask them to call the CRRS for you. The CRRS website has further information |
The following case study illustrates the CRRS process for a local resolution scenario. Please note that the names of the people and services used are fictional.
James Anderson is 24 years old and has an intellectual disability and ADD.
James has been employed with Progress Business Services (PBS) for three years and for the most part has really enjoyed working there. However, recently a new supported employee started and he worked alongside James. James found the new supported employee to be abrupt and loud. He swears a lot and calls James names, which was upsetting him. James was also concerned about his recent Wage Assessment that resulted in a decrease in his wages. James also now wants to work full-time. James contacted the CRRS on its free call number (1800 880 052) after work.
James found the number in his employee handbook that PBS gave him when he started working there. James spoke to the CRRS intake Officer who took down the details of his complaint and discussed the consent process, which includes sending out a consent form for James to sign and return. The CRRS intake Officer also discussed with James how the complaint might best be resolved and explored the idea of local resolution. The CRRS always explores the likelihood of local resolution and so asked James if he had spoken to anyone at work about his complaint. James had not but agreed to meet with his supervisor, if he could be supported by an advocate. The CRRS referred James to his local advocacy service and introduced the complaint to PBS once consent was received.
A meeting was held within the next week between James and his supervisor, with the support of his advocate. The meeting was able to resolve James's complaint as the service agreed to have his Wage Assessment reviewed and could also offer him full-time work. The supervisor agreed to speak to the new supported employee and also agreed to run some refresher training on 'working together and respecting each other in the workplace'. James was very happy after the meeting and confirmed that his complaint was resolved when the CRRS followed up with him a week after the meeting.
[Example prepared by CRRS.]
| What it investigates: |
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| The hotline is a single contact point for anyone to report claims of abuse and neglect in government funded services. The hotline refers complainants to other relevant agencies, such as the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) or the police. Its role is to provide support and a link between the complainant and the service. |
How to contact the hotline: The hotline can be contacted between 8am and 8pm every day of the week in every state across Australia. Phone: Free call 1800 880 052 or 02 9370 3174 Mail: Locked Bag 2705, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012 Email: enquiries@disabilityhotline.org National Relay Service: Call 1800 555 677 and ask them to call the hotline for you. Translating and Interpreting Service: Call 13 14 50 and ask them to call the hotline for you. |
| When to contact them: |
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Any issue that arises at a service where there may have been a criminal act should be referred to the police. This might include:
Where criminal activity may have taken place the case should also be referred to the relevant department. The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) will not investigate the criminal element of the allegation but will make sure that an organisation is still meeting its contractual obligations (including meeting the Disability Services Standards). |
How to contact the police: Refer to the police service in your local area through the Government Services section of your phonebook (by looking under 'Police'); or refer to: |
| What the Office investigates: |
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The Office of the Privacy Commissioner deals with complaints under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), which gives individuals the right to make a complaint if personal information, including health information, has been mishandled by a Commonwealth or ACT Government agency or a private sector organisation. The Office can investigate complaints about private sector organisations if it is alleged that they have breached the National Privacy Principles (for more information on the National Privacy Principles, see Section 3, Standard 4 of this toolkit). |
How to contact the Office: Phone: 1300 363 992 Mail: GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001 Email: privacy@privacy.gov.au |
| What it investigates: |
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The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commissioner can deal with complaints about discrimination under any of the four Acts administered by the Commission: Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 (Cth), Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth), Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) and Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth). Each of these Acts has Specific grounds for complaint including race, sex, pregnancy, marital status, disability, sexual preference, age and trade union activity. |
How to contact the commission: Phone: 1300 656 419 (local call) or 02 9284 9888 Email: complaintsinfo@humanrights.gov.au Free interpretation and translation services are available by contacting 13 14 50 and asking for the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Website: www.hreoc.gov.au |
| What they investigate: | |
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If you cannot resolve complaints about occupational health and safety within your service, complainants can contact state-based authorities. These authorities provide information and complaints-handling relating to occupational health and safety (OH&S) issues. |
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How to contact them: |
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| WorkCover/WorkSafe ACT | Phone: (02) 6205 0200 Fax: (02) 6205 0336 Email: workcover@act.gov.au |
| WorkCover NSW | Phone:13 10 50 |
| NT WorkSafe | Phone: 1800 019 115 (free call) Email:ntworksafe.deet@nt.gov.au |
| Qld Workplace Health and Safety | Phone: 1300 369 915 |
| SA SafeWork | Phone: 1300 365 255 |
| Tas WorkCover | Phone: 03 6233 7657 Fax: 03 6233 8338 Email: wstinfo@justice.tas.gov.au |
| Vic WorkCover Authority | Phone: 03 9641 1444 Email: info@workcover.vic.gov.au |
| WA WorkSafe | Phone: 1300 307 877 |