How we receive, investigate, and resolve complaints — and how we use them to improve.
We are committed to a complaints process that is accessible, fair, transparent, and free from any consequence to the participant making the complaint. This policy describes our obligations, our process, and your rights at every stage. Complaints are treated as valuable information that helps us improve — not as problems to be managed.
We will never discourage a participant or their representative from making a complaint. We will never take adverse action against a participant because they have made a complaint. Every complaint will be taken seriously, investigated fairly, and responded to in writing where contact details are provided. We will use every complaint to review and improve our practices.
Any participant receiving supports from us, any family member or carer acting on their behalf, any independent advocate, or any support coordinator or plan manager can make a complaint. Complaints can be made anonymously. A complaint can be made at any time — during service delivery or after it has ended.
Complaints can be submitted through our online complaints form, by phone, by email, in person, or in writing. Contact details are available on our website and in your service agreement. There is no required format — a brief description of what happened is sufficient to begin an investigation.
Step 1 — Receipt: The complaint is logged in our complaints register on the day it is received, assigned a unique reference number, and allocated to a staff member who was not involved in the matter being complained about. Step 2 — Acknowledgement: We will contact you within two business days to confirm receipt and identify the staff member handling your complaint. Step 3 — Investigation: The assigned staff member reviews all relevant records, interviews relevant workers, and may contact you for further information. Step 4 — Outcome: We will notify you of the outcome and any actions taken within 28 days. Complex complaints may take longer — we will advise you of any extension and the reason. Step 5 — Review: The complaint and outcome are entered into our continuous improvement register and reviewed at the monthly quality meeting.
Some complaints describe events that must also be reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission as reportable incidents. Where this is the case, we will notify the Commission within the required timeframes under the NDIS Incidents and Reportable Incidents Rules 2020, and we will inform you that we have done so. Making a complaint to us does not prevent you from also reporting directly to the Commission.
If you are not satisfied with our response or the outcome of your complaint, you can escalate to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission at any time — including before our process is complete. The Commission can be contacted on 1800 035 544, via ndiscommission.gov.au, or by TTY on 133 677. You can also seek support from an independent disability advocate.
All complaints and their outcomes are recorded in our complaints register and retained for a minimum of seven years. Aggregate complaint data — with no identifying information — is reported to our leadership team quarterly and used to identify systemic patterns and opportunities for improvement.
Legal basis: NDIS Complaints Management and Resolution Rules 2018. NDIS Practice Standards v4, Outcome 1.5 — VANED, QI 1.5.5. NDIS Act 2013, s.73W.