Centacare Employment and Training is committed to providing a means whereby all staff, job seekers, Trainees and employers can provide feedback on staffing matters and the quality of the services provided by the Agency. The Agency is also committed to resolving any queries or problems in a manner satisfactory to all parties concerned. Any complaint, dispute or feedback received will be treated as an opportunity to gather essential information about issues affecting staff, clients, volunteers and other interested parties, and as an opportunity to improve client service.

1. Awareness of Policy

To support staff to meet the obligations set out in this policy, Centacare Employment and Training provides the following mechanisms:

• Staff induction process that specifically highlights a range of policies, including this Complaints and Disputes policy;
• Staff supervision;
• Performance appraisal;
• Integrated Quality and Business Management (IQ-BM) development; and
• Meetings

Staff members who require further explanation, information or assistance in understanding aspects of this policy are encouraged to seek clarification from their Manager. If ever you are in doubt, ask – seek out the advice you need before you act.

2. Definitions

Complaints Register - a confidential collection of documents that contain accurate descriptions of events. Access to this register is limited to the parties involved in the dispute and any relevant government department involved in the investigation of complaints. Department of Education and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) and Department of Education, Science and Technology (DEST) staff will access it as part of routine monitoring.

3. Responsibility

The Finance and Corporate Services Manager (FCS Manager) shall ensure that this policy is implemented.

4. Client Awareness of Policy

Upon acceptance to Agency programs or services, all clients will be advised of the complaints procedure. Clients will be provided with material outlining the complaint process relevant to the program or service they are accessing. All material supplied will be in a user-friendly format and will give consideration to the literacy and language needs of the program’s clientele. Complaints material will include the relevant titles and phone numbers of Agency personnel who may be contacted (usually the relevant Program Manager or Executive Director), and the names, addresses and phone numbers of relevant external bodies or authorities who can act as advocates for clients. Where appropriate, clients will be advised of the complaint procedure should they not be accepted into a program or service, or should the Agency terminate service provision for reasons other than program completion.

5. Complaints Procedure

An effective complaints and disputes system must not only solve an individual’s problem in the first instance, it must also feed this information back through the organisation to correct the cause of the problem. A complaint may be lodged with any staff member either in person, by letter, email or telephone. A person may also choose to lodge their complaint through an advocate or a family member.

• DEEWR has a Customer Service hotline (1800 805 260) which Job Network customers may contact to lodge complaints. These are followed up with the individual Job Network Member for resolution;
• The Agency is required by ESC 3 to make its complaints resolution procedure available to job seekers and employers; and
• The Agency maintains its own Complaint process and clients and employers should be referred to this in the first instance.

If a complainant is dissatisfied with the results of this complaints resolution process, they shall be referred to the DEEWR Customer Service line for further assistance with their complaint.

5.1 General Complaint Resolution Process.

The general process to be followed when a staff member receives a complaint or a staff member wishes to make a complaint is set out in the following diagram (Figure 2). This process is based on the process required by DEEWR in resolving complaints relating to ESC 3. If a staff member receives a complaint, the following procedure shall apply:

• If the complaint is of a minor nature, the staff member who receives it must attempt to resolve it immediately. If the complaint is not of a minor nature or it cannot be resolved or the complainant wishes the matter to be recorded, a Complaint Received Form must be completed and submitted to the FCS Manager. If the complaint relates to the FCS Manager then the form is to be submitted to the Executive Director. If the complaint involves an allegation of fraud, other illegal or financially inappropriate activity or impropriety, then the complaint must be immediately referred to the Executive Director who shall report the allegation in writing to the relevant Contract Manager and the appropriate authorities for immediate investigative action.
• The Complaint Received Form must be completed as soon as practicable upon receipt of the complaint and no more than one working day after the staff member has received the complaint.
• The FCS Manager must immediately record the complaint in the Complaints Register.
• After the complaint has been recorded in the Complaints Register, the complainant and the FCS Manager (or delegate) must meet to discuss the complaint. This meeting shall take place within seven (7) days of the complaint being lodged. If the complainant is unable to attend in that time, the meeting must be held as soon as is practicable for the complainant. A note to this effect must be included in the file.
• If the complaint is resolved by this meeting, the complainant shall be advised in writing of the outcome. An entry to this effect is to be made in the Complaints Register.
• If the complaint is not resolved at the meeting, or the outcome is not satisfactory to the complainant, then the FCS Manager will refer the complaint to the Executive Director. This shall occur no later than two (2) weeks from the date of complaint.
• The Executive Director shall meet with the complainant and attempt to resolve the complaint. If the complaint is resolved at this meeting, the complainant shall be advised in writing of the outcome. An entry to this effect is to be made in the Complaints Register.
• If the complaint remains unresolved, or the outcome is not satisfactory to the complainant, then the complaint will be referred to the Board of Management (unless the complainant is a client or customer of Employment Services or NAC).
• If the complaint relates to Employment Services, the Executive Director shall refer the complaint to the Employment Services Manager at DEEWR. This shall occur no later than four (4) weeks from the date of complaint. An entry to this effect is to be made in the Complaints Register.
• Notwithstanding the above, if the complaint involves an allegation of fraud, other illegal or financially inappropriate activity or impropriety, then the complaint must be immediately referred to the Executive Director or FCS Manager who shall report the allegation in writing to the relevant Contract Manager for immediate investigative action. The Executive Director must also submit a written report about the complaint to the Board of Management.

5.2 Corrective Action

The FCS Manager is to ensure that the cause of the complaint is fully investigated and effective corrective action is implemented. The corrective action is to be referred to the ED for review. All corrective actions shall be monitored after implementation to ensure effectiveness of action. Changes required to documentation as a result of corrective action shall occur according to the Document Control policy.

5.3 Preventative Action

As part of the Agency’s continuing review process, all complaints in the Complaints Register will be reviewed at least quarterly. Each Program Manager will ensure preventative strategies are put in place where a complaint review highlights patterns that indicate possible future causes of complaints.

6. Evaluation

Centacare Employment and Training will ensure that this policy is monitored and evaluated through:

• Relevant staff meetings;
• Seeking specific feedback from target communities as part of service planning;
• Seeking feedback from other services;
• Integrated Quality and Business Management (IQ-BM) development; and
• Reviewing the policy as part of service planning events.

The Finance and Corporate Services Manager is responsible for the review and update of this Policy.