Making a Complaint

The Department of Human Services provides a range of services to people throughout Victoria. The Department aims to enhance and protect the health and wellbeing of all Victorians, in particular, vulnerable groups and those most in need. The Department, its programs and staff endeavour to provide a high quality service.

You may wish to provide comment or congratulations, or make a complaint about the advice, actions taken or service received by staff. The Department of Human Services welcomes your feedback as it helps us improve our work for the community of Victoria.

The Quality Assurance Unit, is responsible for the management of complaints, including complaints about breaches of privacy. The unit is responsible to the Manager, Corporate Services and is independent of the service delivery work undertaken by the regional programs.

Your feedback

If you would like to congratulate the Department or make comment about the service provided by any program or from a staff member of the Department of Human Services, Eastern Metropolitan Region you can telephone or write to the Quality Assurance Unit.

You can complain about a service provided by any program or from a staff member of the Department of Human Services, Eastern Metropolitan Region, if you believe they:

Failed to provide satisfactory care
Failed to provide enough information or denied you the right to choose
Denied you respect, dignity or privacy
Have been negligent or unprofessional, or
Caused you concern for any other reason

At times, you may not be satisfied with a decision made by the department. The Quality Assurance Unit provides you with an avenue for having your concerns looked at if you are dissatisfied.

Who Can Complain?

You can make a complaint about a service if you are a client of a service, a friend, relative or guardian of a client, a service provider or anyone with a legitimate interest in the issue.

Manager, Quality Assurance

The Manager, Quality Assurance is available to assist you with your complaint. Your complaint information will be used to investigate your issues and that may involve sharing the information with other relevant areas in the department.

The use of this information for these purposes is carefully controlled to ensure that it complies with the Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).

Statistical information regarding complaints is also used to improve the department's services, better understand community needs and respond more positively to complaints and suggestions.

The Manager, Quality Assurance will:

Listen to you
Give you information
Help you take your complaint to the relevant program area
Refer your complaint to external agencies for further action if necessary
Put you in touch with other people who can help you if needed
Be available as a single point of contact within the region for complaints management
Provide advice on what you can expect in response to your complaint
Assist you in navigating your complaint through the process

Making Your Complaint

If you have a complaint, you should speak to the staff member concerned or their Manager in the first instance and try to have the matter resolved.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you should contact the Manager, Quality Assurance by telephone or in writing detailing your complaint and the outcome you are seeking.

Responding to Your Complaint

You will be sent an acknowledgement within three working days of receipt of your complaint, telling you who is dealing with it. A full reply will follow within 21 days, advising you of the outcome or of any delays.

Your complaint will be investigated by a Manager who has not been directly involved in the issue you are concerned about. While your complaint is investigated, you can expect:

To be informed of the progress
To be treated with respect
A reply to your complaint within 21 days

The areas about which you can make comment, congratulations or complaints are:

Services received directly from the Department of Human Services or its funded agencies
Programs managed by the Department of Human Services
Behaviour of staff within the Department of Human Services, Eastern Metropolitan Region or its funded agencies

Privacy

Personal information provided in complaints will be handled in accordance with the Department of Human Services Privacy Policy. Consistent with Victorian Government policy and legislation, the Department of Human Services endorses fair information handling practices and uses of information in compliance with its obligations under the Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic). Any information provided, including identification of individuals, will be used only for the purpose/s intended and where the intention includes confidentiality, information will be treated as such unless otherwise required by law.

How to Make a complaint to the Department of Human Services

Below are the steps that can be taken to get your complaint resolved:

Step 1.

Discuss complaint with the staff member involved.

Step 2.

Contact the Quality Assurance/Community Liaison Officer or your case worker.

Step 3.

If your complaint cannot be resolved at steps 1 or 2, you can contact Corporate Integrity, Information and Resolutions Unit (CIIRu) who will contact the program area involved. CIIRu will advise the program area that the complaint is being investigated.

You can submit your complaint/ enquiry by either writing, email or phone.

External Complaint Agencies

You can contact the following agencies to get advice. They will either take on the complaint or refer you back to the program area.

Note

During each step please take note of all of the staff you contact. Take note of the following important information:

name
title
contact number, and
date you spoke with them.

Please use the complaint form to assist with your enquiry. This form is not to be sent off to the departments, it is a sample only.

Related Resources

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