At The Compassionate Friends Victoria (TCFV), we strive to maintain and enhance our reputation for providing the highest quality peer support, social connection and resources for bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents following the death of a child. TCFV is committed to being responsive to the needs and concerns of our members, those who attend any of our information sessions, events and social activities as well as those we partner with in the delivery of our services and programs. We will aim to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible.
This policy is designed to guide our service users, program participants and partners together with our staff in relation to the way TCFV receives and manages complaints. We aim to be consistent, fair and impartial when handling complaints. The objective of this policy is to ensure that you are familiar with and understand our complaint lodgement and handling process and that complaints are handled in a professional manner.
A complaint refers to an expression of dissatisfaction by a service user, attendee (event/ activity/ workshop) and/ or partner in relation to a service provided / action taken by us.
If you are dissatisfied with the service provided by TCFV, you should in the first instance speak directly with the staff member of the service area you have been dealing with. If you are not comfortable doing so, you can lodge a complaint in writing to tcfceo@compassionatefriendsvictoria.org.au. We may need to contact you to clarify details or request additional information where necessary to help us handle your complaint in a timely and efficient manner.
As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, complaints will be monitored to help management identify any trends and to take remedial action to address identified issues. If you lodge a complaint, we will record your personal information solely for the purpose of addressing and responding to your complaint. Your personal information will not be disclosed to another party unless you provide permission for us to disclose your details.
TCFV is committed to resolving your complaint at the first point of contact, however we understand that this may not always be possible, in which case a more formal complaints process will be followed. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three (3) business days and undertake an initial investigation.
We are committed to resolving your complaint within ten (10) business days of you lodging your complaint. However, this may not always be possible. Where we have been unable to resolve your complaint in this timeframe, we will inform you of the reason together with a date by which we will be able to finalise the matter.
Once we have finalised your complaint, we will advise you in writing of our findings and what action (if any) has been taken. You have the right to enquire about the status of your complaint at any time by contacting our office.
If your complaint relates to a member of staff/ volunteer, we will treat your complaint with confidentiality and treat all people involved equally. The staff member/ volunteer will be informed that there has been a complaint made and will be given the opportunity to explain the circumstances. They will be provided with appropriate support and be kept up to date on the result of the investigation.
If you are not happy with how your complaint has been resolved, you can formally request in writing that the matter be brought to the attention of the TCFV Board for review.