COMPLAINTS
Women’s Community Shelters is committed to providing an efficient and effective feedback and complaints handling service to clients, their advocates, service providers and the community. We value feedback and complaints from those who deal with us because it helps us to improve our services by revealing areas where we need to review or change our policies and practices.
Women’s Community Shelters is committed to ensuring that any feedback or complaints we receive are handled in a way that is responsive, fair and courteous and that respects the privacy of the person making the feedback or complaint. We also undertake to make sure that we provide reasons for any decisions we make in relation to feedback or complaints we receive.
What complaints are covered under our policy?
Our policy applies to complaints that relate to Women’s Community Shelters and its affiliated services. They include for example complaints about:
- The manner in which a service has been provided
- Disagreement with decisions made by Women’s Community Shelters
- The actions of our staff – unfair or poor treatment of a person
- Difficulties with getting access to our services
- Complaints relating to services we provide
- Conflict of interest between a staff member’s official duties and their private interest
- Complaints relating to any one of the shelters in the Women’s Community Shelters network, any of its services, its staff or any representative of the shelter, including management
QUICK FACT SHEET
MAILING FORM
MAKING A COMPLAINT
How do I make a complaint?
Step 1
Wherever possible, complaints are best resolved informally by the people involved. You or your advocate should talk or write to the person responsible for the decision or conduct about which you are complaining. Women’s Community Shelters has a Complaint Form which includes an easy-to-follow Fact Sheet to help you understand the process for lodging a complaint. Staff members of Women’s Community Shelters can support individuals to make a complaint, if asked by providing accurate information about the process.
Women’s Community Shelters is committed to handling complaints in a way that respects people’s privacy and the confidentiality of the matter. The only people who will have access to information about your complaint are those who are working on resolving it. If you have any concerns about your confidentiality of your complaint, you can tell the person who is handling it.
To lodge a complaint in another language, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450. If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service. For more information, visit: www.relayservice.gov.au
Step 2
If you are not satisfied with the response, you, or your advocate should try to discuss the matter with the Chief Operating Officer or Chief Executive Officer. If you are still not satisfied, or if you are unsure of who is the appropriate person to contact about your complaint, you can contact Women’s Community Shelters Board by sending a complaint through this website.
The Women’s Community Shelters Business Manager will listen to your complaint and may very well be able to resolve the issue promptly on the phone. They will let you know what they will be doing with your complaint and the timeframes for getting back to you.
Contact details
- Phone: Call (02) 9539 6859 to talk directly to the People and Culture Manager. You can contact the office between 9.00 am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
- Email: jcb@jbzrafpbzzhavglfurygref.bet.nh
- Mail: Complete this form and post it to either:
Women’s Community Shelters
Chief Executive Officer
PO Box 462Surry Hills NSW 2010
Or
Private and Confidential
Attention: Chairperson
Women’s Community Shelters Board of Management
PO Box 462
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Step 3
We will do the best we can to resolve your complaint. If you are still not happy with the process or result of your complaint, you have the right to take your complaint to another body for external review. You will need to ask these bodies whether they can deal with your matter and if not, which agency can help.
Bodies who may undertake a review of your complaint include:
- NSW Ombudsman: http://www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/
- Department of Communities and Justice: http://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/
- Privacy NSW: https://www.ipc.nsw.gov.au/privacy/citizens/make-complaint
- Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW: http://www.antidiscrimination.justice.nsw.gov.au/
What is expected of you?
When you make a complaint you are responsible for:
- Giving us a clear idea of the problem and the solution you want.
- Giving us all the relevant information that you have at the beginning.
- Letting us know whether anyone else is currently dealing with your complaint.
- Telling us new facts or letting us know if you no longer wish to complain.
- Cooperating with us.
- Treating our staff with respect.
What is Women’s Community Shelters responsible for?
We are responsible for:
- Handling your complaint professionally, efficiently and fairly.
- Keeping you informed of our progress.
- Giving you reasons for our decisions.
- Treating you with courtesy and respect.
- Giving reasonable assistance to make your complaint, for instance providing access to interpreter services.
site
QUICK FACTS
Please click on the link to review and/or print our Complaints Fact Sheet
COMPLAINTS FORM
This is an interactive form that can be completed online, printed and mailed to the addresses listed.
