St Carthage’s Community Care is committed to ensuring that any person or organisation using St Carthage’s Community Care services or affected by its operations has the right to lodge a complaint or to appeal a decision of the organisation. All concerns that are raised will be addressed in ways
that ensure access and equity, fairness, accountability, and transparency.

Everyone who receives services or support from St Carthage’s has access to fair and effective procedures for their feedback and complaints to be heard and for appropriate action to be taken, as a result.

People are encouraged to provide feedback and make complaints to enable St Carthage’s to improve the quality-of-service provision.

The organisation will provide a complaints and appeals management procedure that:

• allows any person to make a complaint or provide feedback.
• facilitates complaints by cultivating a supportive environment in which they can be made.
• is simple, accessible, and easy to use.
• is effectively communicated and promoted to all clients and stakeholders.
• is proportionate to the size of the organisation and the services it provides.
• ensures complaints or appeals are fairly assessed and responded to promptly.
• is procedurally fair and follows principles of natural justice.
• complies with legislative requirements.

Definitions

Complaint: is an expression of dissatisfaction made to or about an organisation regarding its staff, services or products that warrants response or resolution.

Complainant: is an employee, client, advocate, entity, or member of the public who expresses their dissatisfaction about an organisation to either the organisation itself or an external body.

Escalation: If a person chooses to complain to an external agency, they are free to do so, and St Carthage’s will support them as required. Agencies that people may lodge a complaint with are:

• The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission 1800 951 822
• The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission 1800 035 544

Principles

Advocacy

People are advised that they may wish to use an advocate at any point in the feedback or complaints process or if they feel their feedback or complaint was not satisfactorily resolved.

People who are receiving aged care services and support may wish to contact:

• Older Persons Advocacy Network on 1800 700 600
• Seniors Rights Service 1800 424 079

Participants of NDIS may wish to contact:

• Ability Advocacy 1800 657 961
• Life Without Barriers 1800 935 483

People with Particular Needs

Where clients may have special needs, such as people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the Support Planner or Manager ensures that any cultural aspects are considered when reviewing a complaint and ensures that any barrier to openly and honestly discussing the complaint is removed or mitigated. The presence of a family member or friend or the support of an interpreter may be required.

The Manager also ensures that any actions, interventions, or referrals are appropriate to people from special needs groups. This may require the involvement of organisations with expertise in special needs groups either in providing advice or assisting in actions.

Confidentiality of Complaints

As far as possible, the fact that a client has lodged a complaint and the details of that complaint are kept confidential amongst staff directly concerned with its resolution. The client’s permission is obtained prior to any information being given to other parties that it may be desirable to involve to satisfactorily resolve the complaint.