Confidentiality
All calls to the Men’s Referral Service are private and confidential unless we have concerns about your safety or someone else’s safety. If we do have any safety concerns, we may call the police or ambulance or make a report to child protection services. When possible, the Men’s Family Violence Counsellor will discuss this with you first.
The Men’s Family Violence Counsellor will ask you questions about your situation to support them to give callers referrals and information relevant to their circumstances. We also do routinely ask all callers for basic demographic and other information, such as, age, employment status, postcode or suburb, and how you heard about our service.
Policy Statement
No to Violence (NTV) is committed to ensuring that any person or organisation using NTV services or are affected by its operational services has the right to lodge a complaint or to appeal a decision of the organisation and to have their concerns addressed in ways that ensure access and equity, fairness, accountability and transparency.
The organisation offers a complaints and appeals management procedure that:
- is simple and easy to use
- is effectively communicated and promoted to all clients and stakeholders
- ensures complaints or appeals are fairly assessed and responded to promptly
- is procedurally fair and follows principles of natural justice
- complies with legislative requirements
Policy Principles
NTV will:
- consider all complaints it receives
- treat all complainants with respect, recognising that the issue of complaint is important to the complainant
- maintain confidentiality of the parties involved, keeping any information private to those directly involved with the complaint and its resolution
- ensure advocacy is available to clients who make a complaint and require support
- resolve complaints, where possible, to the satisfaction of the complainant
- deal with all complaints in a timely manner
- keep parties informed of progress of the complaint
- ensure that Board of Governance members, staff, volunteers are given information about the complaints procedure as part of their induction and are aware of procedures for managing client feedback and complaints.
- ensure all service users, stakeholders and members are aware of the complaint policies and procedures
- ensure that a complainant is not penalised in any way during the progress of an issue or prevented from use of services during the complaint management process
- ensure that all feedback is considered in organisational reviews and in planning service improvements.
Policy Procedures
Information for clients and stakeholders
In addition to this document, the NTV complaints and appeals procedure will be further detailed when clients and stakeholders contact 03 9487 4500 (during office hours), or by return email to info@ntv.org.au
All clients will be informed of their rights and responsibilities in regard to their complaints and appeals at the earliest possible stage of their involvement with the organisation.
This document contains information on the following:
- how to make a complaint or lodge an appeal
- contact details for lodging a complaint or appeal
- the complaints management process
- the rights of the complainant to an advocate, support person or interpreter
- how the person will be informed of the outcome of their complaint or appeal
- how to make a complaint to an external body including contact details
The information will also be made available to clients upon request in a language other than English and in other accessible formats as required.
Making a complaint
A person wishing to make a complaint may do so online using our Complaints Form or
Verbally to:
- the staff member they were dealing with at the time
- another staff member or manager they may speak to subsequently
In Writing to:
- The Manager, Clinical Governance (MRS related complaints)
- The Governance and Compliance Manager (NTV related complaints)
- NTV CEO
- NTV Board
Written complaints may be sent to: Governance and Compliance Manager, No to Violence: PO Box 277 Flinders Lane Victoria 8009 Australia, or emailed to info@ntv.org.au
Procedure for complaints and appeals management
- All complaints and feedback will be acknowledged within 3 working days from receipt of the complaint or feedback
- Complaints and feedback will be acknowledged:
- Via email, where an email address provided (preferred)
- By phone where only a telephone number has been provided
- In writing, where only a mailing address as been provided
- Complaints and feedback made in relation to the Mens Referral Service (MRS) will be managed by the Manager, Clinical Governance
- Complaints and feedback made in relation to No To Violence (not MRS) will be managed by the Governance and Compliance Manager
- Complaints and feedback made in relation to the CEO will be managed by the Chairperson of the Board of Governance
- Complaints in relation to an NTV Board member will be referred to the Chairperson of the Board of Governance
- The Manager, Clinical Governance and the Governance and Compliance Manager will direct or escalate complaints or feedback to the person as appropriate for investigation
- All complaints and feedback will be investigated and responded to within 5 working days of the initial acknowledgement and will include any corrective actions recommended
- Clients or their advocates may lodge an appeal within 4 weeks of receiving the NTV response to the complaint or feedback if they disagree with decision made by the organisation
- An appeal should be made in writing by post or email and submitted to the Governance and Compliance Manager as described above
Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities
The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (the Charter) is a Victorian law that sets out the basic rights, freedoms and responsibilities of all people in Victoria. It can be accessed at http://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/the-charter
