Complaints and Feedback Policy

1. Purpose

Gold Coast Social Works welcomes feedback, compliments, concerns and complaints. Feedback helps us understand what is working well, identify where improvements are needed, and provide safe, respectful and high-quality services.

This policy explains how feedback and complaints can be made and how Gold Coast Social Works will receive, assess, respond to, record and learn from them.

2. Our commitment

Gold Coast Social Works is committed to a complaints process that is:

• person-centred, respectful and easy to access
• fair, transparent and handled with procedural fairness
• responsive to the person's communication, cultural and accessibility needs
• free from intimidation, disadvantage or retaliation
• confidential, with information shared only where necessary or required by law
• used to support continuous improvement.

A person will not be treated adversely, have services withdrawn, or be disadvantaged because they provide feedback or make a complaint.

3. Who can provide feedback or make a complaint?

Anyone can provide feedback or make a complaint about Gold Coast Social Works, including a participant or client, family member, carer, nominee, advocate, support coordinator, other professional, worker or member of the community.

A complaint may be made anonymously. A person may also ask a family member, friend, advocate or other support person to assist them or communicate on their behalf.

4. What can feedback or a complaint be about?

Feedback or complaints may relate to any aspect of our services, including:

• the quality, safety or suitability of a service
• communication, conduct or professional interactions
• appointments, fees, billing or administration
• privacy or confidentiality
• accessibility or how a service was delivered
• a decision or action taken by Gold Coast Social Works
• anything else that has caused concern or could be improved.

5. How to provide feedback or make a complaint

Feedback and complaints can be made verbally or in writing. You can speak directly with Faye Hartley-Youens or contact Gold Coast Social Works using the details below.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0409 096 746

If you need another way to communicate your complaint, please let us know. We will make reasonable efforts to support accessible communication.

6. What happens when a complaint is received?

Gold Coast Social Works will:

• listen to the concern and clarify what outcome the person is seeking
• acknowledge the complaint promptly
• consider any immediate safety, wellbeing or safeguarding issues
• assess the seriousness, urgency and complexity of the matter
• gather relevant information and give affected people a fair opportunity to provide information or respond
• keep the person making the complaint appropriately informed about progress
• work toward a fair and practical resolution
• explain the outcome and any actions taken, subject to privacy and confidentiality obligations
• record the complaint and consider whether service, policy or practice improvements are required.

We aim to resolve complaints as promptly as reasonably possible. If a matter is complex or requires more time, we will explain this and provide appropriate updates.

7. Procedural fairness

Complaints will be handled fairly and without predetermined conclusions. The person making the complaint will have a reasonable opportunity to explain their concerns. Where a complaint is made about another person, that person will be given an appropriate opportunity to understand and respond to relevant concerns before an adverse decision is made, unless doing so would be unsafe, unlawful or inappropriate.

8. Privacy and confidentiality

Information relating to feedback and complaints will be handled sensitively and in accordance with Gold Coast Social Works' Privacy Policy and applicable privacy obligations. Information will only be shared with people who need it to manage the matter, or where disclosure is authorised or required by law.

9. Serious concerns and referrals

If a complaint raises concerns about immediate safety, abuse, neglect, exploitation, violence, a possible criminal offence, professional misconduct or another matter requiring external notification, Gold Coast Social Works may need to refer or report the matter to the appropriate authority. This may include emergency services, police, a relevant regulator or the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission where applicable.

10. External complaints - NDIS services

If your concern relates to NDIS-funded supports or services, you may raise the matter directly with Gold Coast Social Works or contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. You do not have to raise the matter with us first if you do not feel comfortable doing so.

The NDIS Commission accepts complaints about the quality and safety of NDIS supports and services delivered by registered and unregistered NDIS providers and workers.

NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission: 1800 035 544
TTY: 133 677
National Relay Service: relayservice.gov.au
Website: ndiscommission.gov.au/complaints

Complaints about NDIS access, plan funding decisions or NDIA decisions should be directed to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), rather than the NDIS Commission.

11. Advocates and support people

You may have an advocate, family member, friend, guardian, nominee or other support person help you provide feedback or make a complaint. Gold Coast Social Works will respect your choice to involve a support person, subject to consent, privacy and any applicable legal requirements.

12. Records and continuous improvement

Gold Coast Social Works will maintain appropriate records of complaints, actions taken and outcomes. Complaint and feedback information will be reviewed periodically to identify patterns, risks and opportunities to improve the quality, safety and accessibility of our services.

13. Compliments and general feedback

Positive feedback and suggestions are also welcome. Compliments help us understand what is working well, while suggestions can help shape and improve the way services are delivered.

14. Policy review

This policy will be reviewed periodically and updated when there are relevant changes to our services, legal obligations, NDIS requirements or complaints management practices.

Contact

Gold Coast Social Works
Faye Hartley-Youens
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0409 096 746
Gold Coast, Queensland