What's a complaints process?

A complaints process is a way that you can make complaints about something, usually a service you’ve used, or an experience with an organisation.1,2

It’s a way to provide feedback and raise your concerns and worries so that any issues can be addressed and dealt with.1,2

Why are complaints important? 

Complaints are a valuable form of feedback, a vital part of child safety, and an opportunity for organisations to learn how to improve their services and make things better for everyone.2

It’s important for you because it means you can give valuable feedback on experiences you have and get them improved for others. It provides a channel to advocate for yourself and ensure you get to have a say.

Organisations should be committed to reviewing all feedback and complaints quickly and thoroughly, identifying actions that need to be taken, and implementing those actions and other improvements in a timely manner.3

Having a complaints process is a normal part of running a business or organisation. Organisations shouldn’t be afraid of complaints, and they should embrace them as a way that they can actively improve their offerings. Because of this, you also shouldn’t be afraid to advocate for a complaints process to be set up.2

The Victorian Child Safe Standards are mandatory in Victoria and state that there must be complaints processes in place that have been developed with children and young people and are easy to understand and use.

At your organisation

If you notice that the organisation you use doesn’t have a complaints process in place, or one that is promoted to the public or easy to find and use, it could be a good idea to raise this as an idea.

The first place to start would be talking to the person you see at the organisation. They can raise the idea with their team.

You may be a little nervous, but if you stick to the reasons why a complaints process is important, the organisation should welcome it.

Some points to help you:

  • Complaints are a valuable form of feedback
  • Complaints can improve child safety and also shows that an organisation is committed to child safety
  • Complaints give organisations an opportunity to learn how to improve their services and make things better for everyone.
  • It shows the public that organisations are open to feedback and improving their services for everyone
  • It breaks down a barrier of people’s access to organisations
  • A complaint process is a requirement of the Victorian Child Safe Standards

A service, program or organisation you are interacting with

It’s important for the services you use, or the other organisations you interact with to have a complaints process. This is so you can provide your own feedback about your experience with them. When organisations have complaints processes, they may not always be easily accessible and some may not have them altogether.

A few things to think about:

  • A good place to start is contacting the organisation through their contact methods, usually through an online form, via email or by calling.
  • Ask where you can find their complaints process.
  • Once they let you know, you could let them know why it wasn’t very accessible for you to find and explain that complaints processes should be easy to find and use. Also include this in the complaint itself.

If a business or organisation doesn’t have a complaints process:

  • Ask for the contact details of the best placed person to speak to you about your complaint.
  • Once you can make contact with this person, you can make your complaint but then also explain why it’s important for them to have a complaints process.
  • Make some suggestions and give them some examples of other complaints processes you like that they could implement.

An example of a complaints process.

Complaints processes are a normal part of organisations. They uphold transparency and provide valuable feedback from people.

  • You should be actively told about a complaints process, how you can access it and what it involves.
  • You should feel comfortable to lodge a complaint, ask questions and question the process.
  • You can advocate for your access to a complaints process and if their format doesn’t work for you, ask for an alternative.
  • You should be able to meet someone face to face (or online) if that is your choice and bring a person with you for support.

Resources

The Australian Government’s National Office for Child Safety has some great downloadable posters around complaints processes:3

Speak Up Poster

Speak Up Leaflet

If you make a complaint, you should be informed of what will happen once you make a complaint to an organisation.

The complaints process should be clear and have information about the next steps. If it isn’t clear, remember you can always ask. If they haven’t provided contact details for a specific person in the organisation, you can contact the ‘general enquiries’ option to ask for more information about your complaint.2

In general, you should expect the next steps to include:

  • Being informed that your complaint has been received.
  • Being informed of how the organisation will proceed (this depends on what the complaint is).
  • Be provided with a timeframe and when you can expect to hear back about the complaint and the outcome.

Please note, some of these steps will depend on if you provided contact details or not. You can remain anonymous, but the organisation won’t be able to contact you if you don't provide any contact details.
  1. Commission for Children and Young People. (26 June 2017). Top Tips on How to Make a Complaint [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZKMJ38mQhg
  2. National Office for Child Safety. (n.d). Complaint Handling Guide: Upholding the rights of children and young people. https://www.childsafety.gov.au/system/files/2022-09/nocs-complaint-handling-guide.pdf
  3. National Office for Child Safety. (n.d). Speak up and make a complaint - information for organisations. https://www.childsafety.gov.au/resources/speak-up-make-complaint/speak-and-make-complaint-information-organisations

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