The Complaints Resolution and Referral Service ('CRRS') assists people with disabilities who use Australian Government-funded Disability Employment Services ('DES'), Australian Disability Enterprises ('ADE'), and Disability Advocacy services. If you are unhappy with these services, you can make a complaint to the CRRS. They will investigate whether the National Standards for Disability Services have been breached.
What types of complaints can you make?
Complaints can be made by clients of services funded by the Department of Social Services ('DSS'). The CRRS focuses on complaints including, but not limited to:
- Not receiving the correct pay: Service Providers should provide individuals with the correct pay.
- Unsafe or poor employment conditions: Service Providers should provide individuals with safe and/or reasonable employment conditions.
- Abuse, neglect, or mistreatment within a service: Service Providers should have preventative measures in place to ensure that individuals are free from abuse, neglect, or mistreatment within a service.
- Unfairly exited from a service: Service Providers should only exit an individual from a service for reasons deemed to be fair.
- Not being provided with the training needed to find, keep, or do a job: Service Providers should provide individuals with the necessary training needed to find, keep, or do a job.
Jurisdiction:
The service provider must be an eligible participant in a DSS-Funded Disability Service Provider.
Time Limitations:
Incidents must have occurred within the last two years.
The CRRS will not deal with complaints about:
- The CRRS only handles complaints about DSS-funded service providers.
- Complaints about incidents over two years old or previously resolved are not accepted.
Exercise of Discretion:
The CRRS decides which complaints to investigate based on gathered information. If a complaint is not investigated, reasons will be provided.
Who can you make a complaint against?
You may make a complaint against:
- Individuals: Complaints can be made about any individual if they are employed by a DSS-Funded Disability Service. As the CRRS only deals with services that are funded by the DSS, only employees of these services can be the reason behind the complaint being made.
- Body/ Organisation: Services funded by the DSS are susceptible to complaints, under the Disability Services and Inclusion (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2023. These services include:
- Disability Employment Services
- Australian Disability Enterprises
- Advocacy Services (Funded by DSS)
The CRRS will not deal with complaints about:
- The CRRS can only assist with complaints about services funded under the Disability Services Act (1986). If the service is not funded under this Act, you cannot make a complaint through the CRRS.
- If the individual or organisation you want to make a complaint about is not an eligible service that the CRRS can make a complaint towards, then you will need to find an alternative complaint pathway.
Are you eligible to make a complaint?
Who can make a complaint?
If you use a government funded DES or DAS or work at Australian Disability Enterprises, you can lodge a complaint about those services with the CRRS.
Can complaints be made on someone’s behalf?
Yes. Your family members, advocates, guardians, carers, etc. can lodge a complaint on your behalf. However, if they do, the CRRS will need to obtain your consent to contact the service that the complaint relates to.
Before you lodge a complaint:
While there are no steps that must be taken prior to the complaint being made, it is sometimes suggested that you first make your complaint directly to the service provider that you are complaining about. This complaint can be made at the same time as the one through the CRRS. The above is your choice. You can make a complaint solely through the CRRS.
The CRRS will not deal with complaints if:
- You are not a user of a DSS Funded Service and are not complaining on behalf of a disability service provider user.
- The incident occurred more than two years ago.
- You have raised a complaint about an incident previously, which has been investigated and closed by the CRRS. You will be excluded from making another complaint about that incident.
What can this body do to help?
This body may provide:
- Mediation: The CRRS will act to represent both party’s interests. The CRRS will assist both parties by working as a mediator with the aim of resolving the issue of the individual making the complaint.
- Investigation: CRRS investigates complaints by contacting the service provider, collecting evidence such as file notes and emails to determine if there was a breach of the National Standards.
- Resolution: The CRRS may resolve complaints by improving communication, overcoming delays, addressing service issues, offering apologies, finding solutions, or fixing problems.
- Referrals: CRRS provides information and referrals to other services if the complaint doesn't fit the National Standards of Disability Services.
How to prepare your complaint
To make a complaint, you should submit an Online Complaints Form through the Job Access website.
You can also make a complaint verbally, through contacting the CRRS via telephone.
Non-English speakers can use the Translating and Interpreting Service when contacting the CRRS.
Callers who are deaf or have a speech or hearing impairment can contact the National Relay Service for assistance with contacting the CRRS.
Complaints can be made via email at CRRS@workfocus.com.
Information to Provide:
- Personal Details:
- Due to the CRRS’s process of investigation, you will be unable to remain anonymous. You will be required to provide certain personal details when submitting your complaint. The required information includes:
- First and last name
- Phone number
- State
- Status, nature and details of complaint
- Service Name and location
- Due to the CRRS’s process of investigation, you will be unable to remain anonymous. You will be required to provide certain personal details when submitting your complaint. The required information includes:
- Respondent’s Details:
- Information pertaining to the individual or service that you are making a complaint about should be provided when submitting your complaint
- Relevant Facts:
- When dealing with your complaints, the CRRS will gather as much information as possible. This information gathering process begins the moment you lodge your complaint. It is important to provide the CRRS with as much information relevant to your complaint as possible. Information provided to the CRRS can include:
- Dates, places and times of incidents;
- witnesses present when the incidents occurred;
- impact of the problem caused;
- steps already taken to attempt to resolve issues;
- the desired outcome; and
- documents supporting your complaint.
- When dealing with your complaints, the CRRS will gather as much information as possible. This information gathering process begins the moment you lodge your complaint. It is important to provide the CRRS with as much information relevant to your complaint as possible. Information provided to the CRRS can include:
- What NOT to include: When making your complaint, it is important to not make false or misleading claims. This may be an offence.
Lodging your complaint and next steps:
- Where to lodge your complaint:
- Online form: Found here
- Email: CRRS@workfocus.com
- Telephone: 1800 880 052
- Callers who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment can contact the National Relay Service (NRS) by calling 133677 then asking for 1800 880 052.
- Non-English-speaking callers can use the Translating and Interpreting Service by calling 13 14 50.
- The CRRS is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), excluding Australian national public holidays.
- Receipt/ acknowledgement of complaint: Once you contact the CRRS, they will conduct an intake, gathering information such as incident dates and contact details for relevant parties. This information is recorded, and the service provider and other parties involved are contacted. Your complaint will be acknowledged, and notes will be taken throughout the process.
- Investigation: After initial contact, the CRRS will assess and gather more information, then send you a consent form to sign. Once consent is received, they will verify details and contact the service management to start the investigation.
- Local Resolution: Depending on the findings, the CRRS may guide you to resolve the complaint with your service provider through:
- CRRS-directed local resolution: CRRS assists in resolving the complaint.
- Self-directed local resolution: CRRS provides suggestions for you to contact the service directly.
- Advocacy-directed local resolution: CRRS provides or finds support for you to raise the complaint directly.
More information:
Refer to the factsheet provided below for more information.
