Policy 7 : Complaints and Disputes

Community Enterprise Inc. is a non-profit organisation established for the purpose of supporting people with disabilities and their families living in the Shire of Hidden Valley.

The services offered by Community Enterprise include group home accommodation, in-home respite, out-of-home respite, home help and community access. 

Community Enterprise is a non-profit, community organisation which is governed by a management committee elected annually by the members. Community Enterprise receives all of its operating funds from the Western Australian Government in the form of an annual grant.

The purpose of this policy is to establish mechanisms for consumers to lodge a complaint or grievance.  Complaints are also seen to have an important role in contributing to service improvement in the agency. The policy has been framed around natural justice principles and individuals' rights as they are specified in the Standards Australia Complaint Handling Standard As 4269-1995, the Disability Services Act (1993) and Standard 7 of the Disability Services Standards (1993).

This policy applies to all of the agency's programs and activities.

The following procedures are to be implemented to enable the agency meets its policy objective of ensuring that all consumers are free to lodge and have resolved any disputes or grievances regarding the agency, its staff or its services are laid down in the Disability Services Commission's Complaints Management Resource File.

Agencies are required to follow these procedures when dealing with a complaint or grievance.

The following performance standards need to be met to ensure that the procedures specified in the Complaints Management Resource File are implemented effectively:

1. All staff members are aware of the existence of, and have ready access to, a copy of the Complaints Management Resource File.
2. There is a nominated person within the agency who is responsible for co-ordinating complaints and to whom all complaints are referred.
3. Clients have been advised of their rights to take their complaint to wherever and whomever they feel comfortable and offered an independent advocate.
4. If client has elected to have the complaint dealt with internally, the complaints co-ordinator has met with the complainant within five working days of being advised that the client wishes to proceed with the complaint internally.
5. The complaints co-ordinator has clarified and documented the nature of the complaint or concern and the resolution sought by the complainant.
6. The complaints co-ordinator has interviewed the involved parties and assembled a proposed course of remedial action within ten working days of meeting with the complainant.
7. In the event of the proposed course of remedial action being unacceptable to the complainant, the complaints co-ordinator has advised the complainant of his or her rights and avenues to take the matter further.
8. All complaints, resolved and unresolved, have been recorded in a confidential complaints log book and a non-identifying summary of any complaints has been tabled at the next Management Committee meeting to inform future service improvement efforts.