Complaints are an important part of improving our services. We take complaints seriously and will investigate them appropriately. Please consider the impact and consequence of initiating vexatious, frivolous or malicious complaints.
Who can make a complaint?
Anyone can make a complaint to ReachOut Australia. You don’t have to be receiving a service from us, and you may make a complaint on behalf of someone else.
Any complaints received anonymously will be accepted and investigated as far as possible.
Please consider whether you are providing feedback about some aspect of our service or making a genuine complaint. If you wish to provide us with feedback please do so by contacting us at info@reachout.com.
Who do I make a complaint to?
Complaints can be submitted via letter or email to the Complaints Officer (complaints@reachout.com), or via the online form below. If you need assistance in making a complaint, we are able to help you. If required, we can organise an interpreter.
You may wish to have an advocate, someone to support you or to act on your behalf, when you make a complaint.
If the complaint involves a person or group within ReachOut Australia, that person or group will not be responsible for handling the complaint process. Another person within ReachOut will handle the complaint, or an independent party may be called upon.
Complaints by letter can be addressed to:
Complaints Officer
ReachOut Australia
PO Box 597
Pyrmont NSW 2009
What happens once I make a complaint?
When you make a complaint you will receive an acknowledgement that will include:
- what will happen while the complaint is being dealt with
- what supports are available to you
- who will deal with the complaint
- what will happen next, such as when you are likely to be contacted again.
You should not be made to feel that you cannot make a complaint, nor should making a complaint have any impact on the services you are receiving from ReachOut Australia.
The time it takes to resolve a complaint will depend on its nature. Simple complaints may be resolved immediately. If we need to make further enquiries, your complaint will take longer to resolve.
Some complaints may not be resolved completely. If so, ReachOut Australia staff will help you to look at other options to address your issue. They may also follow up with you to check that the outcome of the complaint-handling process met your needs.
What happens if I’m not happy with the outcome of my complaint?
If you’re not happy with the outcome of the complaint, you can ask ReachOut Australia to review how the complaint was dealt with. You can do this in a letter or by email. A more senior staff member may undertake the review.
ReachOut Australia staff may gather additional information to help them review the decision. This may or may not alter the original decision. If you’re still unhappy with the outcome after you’ve asked us to review how the complaint was dealt with, then there are outside agencies that may be able to help. These include:
- Health Care complaints in your state
- Commonwealth Ombudsman.
