Making complaints
Throughout your caring journey, you may experience times where you have not been given the appropriate level of service or support from service providers. Being able to respond by making effective complaints to service providers is an important skill to have, as it ensures that your needs are met, your choices respected and your rights upheld.
Carer rights and complaints fact sheets
The Carer Rights & Complaints Network (CRCN), a joint initiative of Carers NSW and the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, has developed a series of fact sheets that explain the rights carers have across a range of different service systems, and how these rights can be upheld through making a formal complaint.
- Fact sheet 1: What rights do carers have?
- Fact sheet 2: Accessing aged care services
- Fact sheet 3: Accessing disability services
- Fact sheet 4: Accessing health services
- Fact sheet 5: Accessing mental health services
- Fact sheet 6: Receiving a Centrelink Payment
- Fact sheet 7: Your rights at work
- Fact sheet 8: Problems with finances
We would appreciate your feedback on these fact sheets via this short survey so we can continue to improve them.
For more information on this project, contact the Carers NSW Policy Team on 02 9280 4744 or at policy@carersnsw.org.au.
Tips for making a complaint
Know what you want
Know what you want to achieve - perhaps an apology, a change to the way a service is delivered, a different person to work with, a refund or compensation. Complaints that include suggestions about how things might be done better are more likely to be listened to and acted upon.
Be assertive
Good communicators are clear and honest about what they want but they also listen carefully and consider other perspectives. Things may be done a particular way for reasons that you hadn't considered. Try not to sort out problems when you are angry. It also helps to direct your anger at the issues rather than making a personal attack.
Talk to the people involved first
Many problems are the result of misunderstandings and can be easily sorted out by raising your concerns with the individual or service provider. Try to stick to the facts and provide examples and reasons why you were not happy with the service. Despite this being an informal discussion, it is vital that you are assertive and make it clear what the problem is and how you would like it resolved. It is also important to make a record of the conversation and when it happened. This is because, if you are unable to resolve the issue at this level, you will need to pursue this further.
If you do not believe your concern is being taken seriously, show that you are prepared to take it further. Ask to speak to a more senior staff member like a team leader or manager.