Complaints Management Policy

Introduction

Muslim Women Australia is committed to ensuring that any person or organization using its services or affected by its operations has the right to lodge a complaint or to appeal a decision of the organization. All concerns that are raised will be addressed in ways that ensure access and equity, fairness, accountability, and transparency.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all individuals or organizations using the services of Muslim Women Australia or affected by its operations have the right to lodge a complaint or appeal a decision of the organization. The policy aims to provide a complaints and appeals management procedure that is simple, accessible, and easy to use.

Policy

The policy is designed to ensure that all concerns raised are addressed in ways that ensure access and equity, fairness, accountability, and transparency. Furthermore, the policy aims to establish principles for handling complaints that prioritise client satisfaction and support, confidentiality, and procedural fairness. Overall, the policy aims to ensure that Muslim Women Australia is accountable for its services and operations and that all clients and stakeholders feel heard and valued.

The organisation will provide a complaints and appeals management procedure that:

• allows any person to make a complaint or provide feedback
• facilitates complaints by cultivating a supportive environment in which they can be made
• is simple, accessible, and easy to use
• is effectively communicated and promoted to all clients and stakeholders
• is proportionate to the size of the organization and the services it provides
• ensures complaints or appeals are fairly assessed and responded to promptly
• is procedurally fair and follows principles of natural justice
• complies with legislative requirements

Definitions:

Complaint: is an expression of dissatisfaction made to or about an organization regarding its staff, services or products that warrants a response or resolution.

Complainant: is an employee, client, advocate, entity, or member of the public who expresses their dissatisfaction about an organization to either the organization itself or an external body.

Escalation: is the process of reporting complaints to the relevant external body if the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of their complaint.

Principles:

Muslim Women Australia will:

1. ensure that all clients, their families, carers, and advocates are encouraged and supported to raise any concerns they have about the service or organisation
2. consider all complaints it receives regardless of whether or not the complainant is a client of the organisation
3. treat all complainants with respect, recognizing that the issue of complaint is important to the complainant
4. maintain confidentiality of parties involved, keeping any information private to those directly involved in the complaint and its resolution. Information will only be disclosed if required by law or if otherwise necessary
5. ensure support and advocacy is available to clients who make a complaint and require support
6. resolve complaints, where possible, to the satisfaction of the complainant
7. ensure all clients, families, and advocates have access to the organization’s complaints management policy
8. deal with all complaints in a timely manner, and aim to provide a formal response to the complainant within 14 days of the complaint being received
9. keep parties to the complaint appropriately involved and informed of the progress of the complaint
10. ensure that governing body/management committee members, staff, volunteers, and others are given information about the complaints procedure as part of their induction and are aware of procedures for managing client feedback and complaints
11. ensure all service users, stakeholders, and members are aware of the complaints policy and procedures
12. ensure that all complainants are aware of and understand how to escalate their complaint to the relevant external body
13. ensure that a complainant is not penalized in any way or prevented from using services during the progress of an issue
14. ensure that feedback data (both positive and negative) is considered in organizational reviews and in planning service improvements
15. review and evaluate the accessibility and effectiveness of the complaints management system and continually improve its processes

All matters relating to the access, use or disclosure of personal information held by Muslim Women Australia, email requests to privacy@mwa.org.au.

Any matters relating to the concern and/or safety of children that Muslim Women Australia should be made aware of, written details of the child/ren and situation should be emailed to childsafety@mwa.org.au.