Complaints Policy
Let us know your issues.
Handling Client Complaints Policy and Procedure
Objective of the Policy
Aspleycare seeks to maintain and enhance our reputation of providing you with high quality emergency relief services. We value complaints as they assist us to improve on what we provide, our services and the provision of these to our clients.
Aspleycare is committed to being responsive to the needs and concerns of our clients or potential clients and to resolving your complaint as quickly as possible.
This policy has been designed to provide guidance to both our clients and our volunteers on the manner in which Aspleycare receives and manages your complaint. We are committed to being consistent, fair and impartial when handling your complaint.
The objective of this policy is to ensure:
- You are aware of our complaint lodgement and handling processes,
- Both you and our volunteers understand our complaints handling process,
- Your complaint is investigated impartially with a balanced view of all information or evidence,
- We take responsible steps to actively protect your personal information,
- Your complaint is considered on its merits taking into account individual circumstances and needs.
Definition of a Complaint
In this policy a complaint means an expression of dissatisfaction by a client relating to the emergency relief services provided by us.
How a Complaint can be Made
If you are dissatisfied with the emergency relief services provided by us, you should lodge a complaint with us in one of the following ways:
- By telephoning us on 3862 7145
- By writing to us at: Aspleycare, 479 Robinson Rd, Aspley QLD 4034
- By emailing us at: secretary@aspleycare.org.au
- In person by speaking to our President. (Call 3862 7145 and leave your details so that our President can call you back)
If we receive your complaint verbally and we consider it appropriate, we will ask you to put your complaint in writing.
The Information You Will Need to Tell Us
When we are investigating your complaint, we will be relying on information provided by you and information that we may already be holding. We may need to contact you to clarify details or request additional information where necessary. To help us investigate your complaint quickly and efficiently we will ask you for the following information:
- Your name and contact details,
- The name of the person you dealt with about your request for emergency relief assistance,
- The nature of this complaint,
- Details of any steps you have already taken to resolve the complaint,
- Details of any conversations you may have had with us that may be relevant to your complaint,
- Copies of any documentation which supports your complaint.
Recording Complaints
When taking a complaint, we will record your name and contact details. We will also record all details of your complaint including the facts and the cause/s of your complaint, the outcome and any actions taken following the investigation of your complaint. We will also record all dates and times relating to actions taken to resolve the complaint and communications between us.
As part of our on-going improvement plan, complaints will be monitored for any identifying trends by the management committee and rectification/remedial action taken to mitigate any identified issues.
If you lodge a complaint, we will record your personal information solely for the purposes of addressing your complaint. Your personal details will actively be protected from disclosure, unless you expressly consent to its disclosure.
Feedback
Aspleycare is committed to resolving your issues at the first point of contact, however, this will not be possible in all circumstances, in which case a more formal complaints process will be followed.
We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three (3) business days. Once your complaint has been received, we will undertake an initial review of your complaint.
There may be circumstances during the initial review or investigation of your complaint where we may need to clarify certain aspects of your complaint or request additional documentation from you. In such circumstances we will explain the purpose of seeking clarification or additional documentation and provide you with feedback on the status of your complaint at that time.
We are committed to resolving your complaint within ten (10) business days of you lodging your complaint, however, this may not be possible on every occasion. Where we have been unable to resolve your complaint within ten (10) business days, we will inform you of the reason for the delay and specify a date when we will be in a position to finalise your complaint.
Once we have finalised your complaint, we will advise you of our findings and any action we have taken. We will do this in writing, unless it has been mutually agreed that we can provide it to you verbally.
You have the right to make enquiries about the current status of your complaint at any time by contacting us.
Our Six Point Complaint Process
- We acknowledge:
Within three (3) business days of receiving your complaint we will acknowledge receipt of your complaint. - We review:
We undertake an initial review of your complaint and determine what if any additional information or documentation may be required to complete our investigation. We may need to contact you to clarify details or request additional information where necessary. - We investigate:
Within ten (10) business days of receiving your complaint we will investigate your complaint objectively and impartially, by considering the information you have provided us, our actions in relation to your dealings with us and other information which may be available, that could assist us in investigating your complaint. - We respond:
Following our investigation, we will notify you of our findings and any actions we may have taken in regards to your complaint. - We take action:
Where appropriate we amend Aspleycare practices and policies. - We record:
We will record your complaint for continuous improvement process and monitoring through regular review, your personal information will be recorded in accordance with relevant privacy legislation.
If you complain about a volunteer, we will treat your complaint confidentially, impartially and equally (giving equal treatment to all people). We will investigate your complaint thoroughly, by finding out the relevant facts, speaking with the relevant people and verifying explanations where possible.
We will also treat our volunteers objectively by:
- Informing them of any complaint about their performance,
- Providing them with an opportunity to explain the circumstances,
- Providing them with appropriate support,
- Updating them on the complaint investigation and the result.
Complaints under investigation by a Regulator or Law Enforcement Agency
If your complaint is currently being investigated by a relevant consumer protection regulator or law enforcement agency, we may cease to take any further action in relation to your complaint pending finalisation of their investigation.
We will assist any agency with their investigations.