Feedback and Complaints Policy

Date last updated: December 2024

The Alannah & Madeline Foundation is committed to listening to and being responsive to the voices, expectations and concerns of our community and actively encourages feedback to help us learn, improve and grow. This includes children and young people, our donors and supporters, our partners and funders, and members of the community.

The Foundation takes an open and honest approach to feedback and complaints, ensuring all feedback and complaints are heard, taken seriously and responded to in a timely and effective manner.

This Policy, and associated procedures, also ensures the Foundation meets its obligations under the Victorian Child Safe Standards and other legislative requirements for the management of complaints regarding the safety of children and young people and the delivery of our programs and services.

This policy applies to all types of feedback and complaints provided to the Alannah & Madeline Foundation (including Dolly’s Dream), including any child safety concerns or disclosures of harm or abuse.

This policy applies to:

• feedback about the access to and delivery of our programs and services

• the behaviour or conduct of Foundation staff, Board members and volunteers.

• feedback and complaints may be made by children and young people, families, carers, educators, donors, supporters, partners, suppliers and members of the public.

Our Whistleblower Policy outlines the ways in which the reporting of suspected unethical, illegal, fraudulent, corrupt or dishonest conduct can be made.

Complaint: Formal expression of dissatisfaction made to or about the Foundation (or Dolly’s Dream) and our services, programs, staff, volunteers, Board members, partners and suppliers. Complaints require a response or resolution, either because one is explicitly or implicitly requested, or because it is legally required. It may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• complaints relating to a staff member, Board member or volunteer’s conduct relating to the safety of a child or young person;

• concerns about a service, program or activity delivered by the Foundation;

• concern about the behaviour of staff, volunteers, Board members, suppliers, partners or others acting on the Foundation’s behalf;

• criticism about a fundraising campaign or action;

• concern over inappropriate use of funding;

• organisational practices, policies or procedures.

Complainant: Any person or organisation making a complaint including a child or young person, an adult raising concerns regarding a service received by a child or young person, or an adult acting on behalf of a child or young person.

Complainee: Any person who makes a formal complaint about the Foundation or its staff and volunteers under this policy.

Feedback: Advice, criticism, feedback or information about the Foundation and Dolly’s Dream and/or our services shared for the purpose of improvement. All feedback is valuable to us.

The Foundation will handle complaints and feedback using the following guiding principles:

• Confidentiality: we are committed to ensuring that, where reasonably practicable, all information related to complaints and their resolution will remain confidential. The privacy of individuals, whether complainant or complainee, will be maintained and personal information will not be divulged except as required by law.

• Impartiality: complaints will be treated with respect and in a fair and equitable manner. Complainants will not be disadvantaged or victimised for making a complaint. Similarly, the rights of the person against whom the complaint is made will be upheld – no pre-judgement will be made, and confidentiality will be maintained throughout the investigation.
• Support: we are committed to ensuring that any person making a complaint is provided with information about where to access additional support, should it be identified that support is required.

• Responsiveness: we take all complaints seriously and aim to deal with them in a manner that is timely, responsive, and objective. If possible, complainants will be kept informed on the progress of their complaint throughout the process.

General

The Foundation is committed to maintaining a system of feedback and complaints which is accessible, supportive, and a responsive pathway for all stakeholders to lodge complaints, provide feedback and receive a response, without fear of retribution, including children and young people engaged in our programs and services.

Privacy and Confidentiality

All feedback and complaints will be handled in line with the Foundation’s Privacy Policy unless otherwise described within the relevant policy (e.g. Whistleblower complaints are anonymous and managed through a third party).

We will address all complaints, concerns and feedback in a confidential manner. Only the people directly involved in making, investigating or resolving a complaint will have access to information about it.

Feedback and complaints will be de-identified for analysis, reporting and when used to inform quality improvement.

Complaint handling procedure

We aim to respond to complaints, concerns and feedback as quickly as possible. We will acknowledge all complaints within 3 working days.

We expect most complaints, concerns and feedback to be resolved and the outcome communicated within 28 days. Sometimes we may need to investigate complaints in more detail to ensure we take the right action. Depending on how complex the concern is, we may need some more time to investigate it. If that is the case, we will contact the complainant to keep them updated and informed during the investigation and once the complaint has been resolved.

In assessing feedback and handling complaints, we will follow the following process:

1. Feedback/complaint received: customer service staff receive the complaint, assess it, and attempt to resolve it immediately, if possible. Serious complaints or concerns (e.g., allegations of sexual harassment, child safety, fraud) will be referred directly to and handled by dedicated specialist areas (e.g., within our Child Safe Reporting Policy) and referred to the relevant authority where required by law.
2. Investigation: if customer service staff cannot resolve the complaint, the matter will be referred through the Supporter Care triage process to a manager for assessment. If an investigation is deemed appropriate, the manager will explain the investigation process to the complainant. Depending on the circumstances, investigation of some matters may be undertaken through an informal process.
3. Internal review: if the complainant is aggrieved with the process or outcome of the initial resolution/investigation, they can request an internal review.
4. Access to external review: should the complainant be dissatisfied with the outcome of their complaint or the way in which we have managed the complaint, there are independent bodies that can be contacted at any time during the complaint process. A list of these independent bodies is provided below.

If the complaint, concern or feedback is assessed to be a reportable matter as prescribed within our Whistleblower or Child Safeguarding Policy, the matter must be handled by the specialist units appropriately trained in responding and the complainant will be updated.

Some complaints of a serious nature may also need to be reported to external authorities including the Police.

Client rights if unhappy with our response

If a complainant is unhappy with the response to a complaint they have made, they may request a review or appeal directly to the Chief Operating Officer.

If the matter involves the Chief Operating Officer, it should be referred immediately to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). If the complaint involves the CEO, it should be referred to the Chair of the Board.

Independent Complaint Processes

There are a number of independent organisations that a complainant can speak to in the event that they are not satisfied with the Foundation’s response, including:

• Office for the Australian Information Commissioner
• National Children's Commissioner
• Australian Charities and Not-For-Profit Commission
• Fundraising Institute of Australia

Feedback from children and young people

The Foundation encourages children and young people engaged in our programs and services to provide feedback and to share their opinions and/or concerns about our programs and our interactions with them.

The collection and use of children’s and young people’s feedback is outlined in our Child and Youth Participation Framework.

A child/young person, or a carer acting on behalf of a child/young person, may make a complaint or provide feedback about our programs and services or the conduct of any Foundation staff member, volunteer or supplier.

As part of our commitment to continuous quality improvement, feedback is routinely reviewed to understand themes and opportunities for improvement or enhancement.

Children Safety concerns or disclosures

The Foundation has zero tolerance for child abuse and maltreatment and zero tolerance for non-reporting of child safety concerns.

Child safety concerns about a Foundation staff member, volunteer, supplier or partner should be made directly to our Child Safety Officer.

Reports can be made in the following ways:

• Phone: call 1300 720 747 and ask to speak to our Child Safety Officer
• Email: [email protected]
• Complete our online child safety feedback form (you do not have to provide your name or contact details to report a child safety via this form).

Any child safety concerns will be investigated by our Child Safety Officer in line with the guiding principles outlined in this policy and in accordance with all relevant laws and regulations.

• Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005

• Working with Children Act 2005

• Victorian Child Safe Standards 2022

• National Principles for Child Safe Organisations

• United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC)

• Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) (including Failure to Protect and Failure to Disclose offences)

• Wrongs Act 1958 (Vic) (including Part XIII – Organisational liability for child abuse).

• Children, Youth and Families Act (Vic) 2005

• Privacy Act (Cth)1988

• Whistleblower protection laws under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act)

• Child Safeguarding Policy & Framework
• Privacy Policy
• Whistleblower Policy