Guide to making complaints and raising concerns

Everything you need to know about how we respond to and manage complaints.

Key information

It takes courage to raise a complaint or concern.
But by speaking up you help us to keep children and young people safe, keep us accountable and help us improve.
We treat all concerns about harm to a child or young person as a type of complaint – and we treat these especially seriously.
Even if you are not sure if something is a complaint or concern, tell us anyway.

Access our online complaints form

Our commitment

It is everyone’s job at DECYP to make sure every child and young person in Tasmania is known, safe, well and learning.
We commit to treating every complaint seriously, especially complaints from children and young people.
We commit to putting the safety, wellbeing and best interests of the child or young person at the centre of our response to every complaint.
There is no wrong door approach for DECYP complaints. It does not matter how we receive your complaint, we will treat your complaint with the same level of care.
We will actively seek the input of children and young people into how they want their complaint handled so they feel safe.
We commit to learning from our mistakes, so that we can improve.

How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint at DECYP in any of the ways below.

Choose the way that makes you feel the most comfortable

In person

In person at any DECYP site – like a school, Child and Family Learning Centre (CFLC), or Ashley Youth Detention Centre (AYDC), or through a Care Team

Through our online complaints form

Complaints form

You can call your school or CFLC

The number for each DECYP school is listed in our school directory

Other key phone contacts:

Learning Services (this is the central education contact point for all Schools and CFLCs) – (03) 61669150
Child Safety and Youth Justice – 1300 737 693

By email

Learning Services Learning.Services@decyp.tas.gov.au
Child Safety PracticeQualityAssurance@decyp.tas.gov.au
Youth Justice CMO.oversight@decyp.tas.gov.au

By mail:

Department for Education Children and Young People
GPO Box 169, Hobart, TAS, 7001

Complaint pathways outside of DECYP

Office of the Independent Regulator (OIR)

You can contact the OIR if you are concerned about a child or young person being harmed by a DECYP worker and you don’t want to raise it with us directly.

Ways to contact the OIR:

Webform at: Report a concern | Office of the Independent Regulator
Phone: 1800 754 728
Email: contact@oir.tas.gov.au
Mail: GPO Box 825, Hobart TAS 7001

Ombudsman Tasmania

You can contact Ombudsman Tasmania if you are unhappy with how DECYP has handled your complaint of concern.

Ways to contact Ombudsman Tasmania

Webform at: Ombudsman Tasmania
Phone: 1800 001 170
Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.tas.gov.au
Mail: GPO Box 960, Hobart, Tasmania 7001

What is a complaint

Complaint has a broad meaning.

In this Guide, when we talk about complaints, this also includes concerns.

We treat concerns as a type of complaint. You don’t need to know whether the issue you want to raise is a complaint or concern.

A complaint is when you tell us you are unhappy with a service, experience, or decision provided by a DECYP service and expect a response.
You can also make a complaint because no action or decision was made. When you make a complaint, you can also ask for a solution.
To get a solution of outcome for a complaint, you need to be directly impacted by the action or omission (something we were meant to do but didn’t). Or you need to make the complaint on behalf of someone who is impacted, and be acting in their best interests.
You don’t need to use the word ‘complaint’ for something to be a complaint.

Complaints are an important way for us to:

understand what’s not working
identify issues
resolve problems
improve the quality of our services.

A complaint could be about, for example:

how you or someone else was treated in a DECYP service
a DECYP policy or procedure
staff behaviour or conduct
the quality of a service
something that happened once or something that happened multiple times
something didn’t happen that was meant to.

What is a concern

A concern is when you feel worried, uneasy, or uncertain about something you’ve experienced or observed in a DECYP service.
It might be about your own experience or something that happened to someone else. You don’t have to be directly impacted by what you observed.
Concerns can arise from, for example:
- an event, action, or something we were meant to do but didn’t
- something that doesn’t feel right
- a situation that causes discomfort or anxiety.
We encourage people to raise concerns early, even if they seem small. You can do this at the school, CFLC, care setting, or other site they occurred. Early reporting helps us:
- keep minor issues from becoming serious
- improve the quality of services and care
- identify and address risks to safety.

Child safeguarding concerns

Child safeguarding concerns are a very important type of concern and one we take extremely seriously.
Safeguarding concerns are about how our workers deliver services in a way that keeps children safe.
These concerns may involve, for example:
- inappropriate behaviour or language
- unsafe interactions or relationships
- physical contact
- breaches of privacy or confidentiality
- sexual misconduct
- issues with staffing, facilities, or the environment.
It is especially important that you report these types of concerns to us to help keep children and young people safe.
All DECYP workers have additional reporting obligations regarding all child safeguarding concerns they must follow as part of their job.
Children, young people family members, care givers and communities can also report concerns about the safety of a child or young person, to Strong Families, Safe Kids Advice and Referral Line on 1800 000 123.

If you or a child or young person is at immediate risk of harm, contact 000 for urgent police or medical help.

What is not a complaint

If we are unable to respond to what you believe is a complaint, we will always let you know and tell you why.

Some types of complaints or related matters are not part of this process. That is usually because we already have other processes and systems in place to deal with them.

They can become a complaint if they are handled poorly or cause distress.

There are also some kinds of complaints that DECYP has no control over, such as the decision of a court or tribunal.

If we are unable to deal with your complaint, we will always let you know why, and, where possible, direct you to someone else who can help.

Even if a type of matter is not directly covered under this Guide, we will apply the Principles of Best Practice Complaints Management to the extent possible.
Here are some things that we don’t consider a complaint:
- feedback that doesn’t seek a resolution
- requests for information
- requests for a change in service or a new service
- social media comments
- industrial or employment matters
- complaints made by someone who is not affected by a DECYP service – unless they are advocating for someone who is affected
- complaints intended to be disruptive
- a complaint about a decision made by a court or tribunal.

You can find a description of these categories in Types of communication that are not considered a complaint.

If you are not sure whether something is a complaint / concern, tell us anyway. We will do our best to make sure it is followed up in the most appropriate way.

What information should I provide when making a complaint

Here are some suggestions of what we might need to know:

who was involved
when it happened, or if it happened more than once
if anyone else saw it happen.
How your concern has impacted you, your family or your client.
What would you like to see happen to resolve your concerns?

We will always work with you to make sure we get the information we need.

A resource you might find useful is Smart Complaining, published by Ombudsman.

Who can make a complaint

Anyone who is affected by a DECYP service, or who is acting on behalf of someone who is can make a complaint.

For example, you can raise a complaint if you are:
- a child or young person,
- a parent / family member / carer (including a salaried carer)
- a DECYP worker
- an advocate for a child or young person
- any member of the community affected by a DECYP service.
- an oversight body, such as the Commissioner for Children and Young People, the Custodial Inspector, the Ombudsman

You can also make a complaint if you notice consistent breaches of our policies or if you believe there are gaps in our policies. We call these types of complaints systemic complaints.

Anonymous complaints

Being anonymous when you make the complaint

You can choose to make an anonymous complaint or use a pseudonym (fake name). We will still handle it in the same way with the same degree of care.

You don’t need to provide any information that identifies you, but it is helpful for us to still have a way to contact you in case we need more details about what happened.

If you don’t wish to give us your contact information, we will still address the content of your complaints to the extent we can with the information we have.

If you wish to make an anonymous complaint, it may be best to do this by telephone, if you are comfortable doing this. Then we can make sure we have enough details to address the matter you raise. We won’t record your number unless you want us to. You can also make an anonymous complaint using the online complaint form.

If you are anonymous, we will not be able to give you information about the outcome of the complaint. This is because we do not know your identity and we won’t know how much information we are allowed by law to disclose to you.

Staying anonymous when we investigate the complaint

Even if you tell us your name, you can still ask us to protect your identity when the complaint is investigated. In this situation we will not share your details with others.

We will also do our very best to make sure you can’t be identified through the complaint investigation process.

However, there might be times where the details of the complaint – e.g. what it was about and where it happened – mean that someone might be able to guess who made the complaint.

Where we think you could be identified, we will let you know, so you can choose whether to continue with the process or not.

If the complaint is about keeping a young person safe, (either you or another person) the person who receives the complaint may be required, by law, to report it to another agency. This is because we take child safeguarding complaints extremely seriously and will always comply with our reporting obligations.

When this happens, we will let you know, and we will make sure you are supported throughout the process.

Principles of best practice complaints management

We know that making a complaint is easier when you know what to expect.

We have developed the following best practice Principles, which you can expect all DECYP staff to follow as part of our complaints management approach:

Principle 1 – Child-centred

What this means

We promise to prioritise the safety, wellbeing and best interests of children and young people in everything we do.

We aim to empower children and young people to speak up, be heard, and have their concerns taken seriously.

What you can expect

The safety, wellbeing and best interests of children and young people will always be our first priority.
We ensure all children and young people, especially those who are the most vulnerable, are aware of their rights, including the right to make a complaint.
If a child or young person tells us something is wrong, we listen, take it seriously and respond promptly with care and respect.
We give children and young people clear, age-appropriate information about all stages of the complaints process.
We involve children and young people as much as possible in decisions that affect them.
We make sure children and young people can have a trusted support person to help them through the process.
We help children and young people put a complaint into writing, if that is what they choose.
We provide families with clear information about how to raise a complaint or concern about a child’s safety or wellbeing.
Our staff are proactive in raising concerns, so they can be addressed before they become bigger issues.

Principle 2 – Trauma-Responsive

What this means

We understand that making a complaint can be difficult—especially for people who have experienced trauma. We know that trauma can affect how people feel and respond.

We promise to make complaints processes safe, respectful, and supportive.

What you can expect

The way we manage complaints recognises that you might have experienced trauma.
Our complaints processes aim to restore relationships and enable healing.
We take time to understand your experience and build trust, using respectful, non-judgemental language and actions.
You can raise a complaint in a way that feels comfortable for you. That can be written, verbally, online, or de-identified/anonymised. At the service level, you can make a complaint in person, if that is your preferred option.
Where possible your complaint will be received with privacy.
If you make your complaint in person, we will make sure the physical environment is comfortable and appropriate.
Wherever possible, you’ll have options about how your complaint is handled and we will update you about progress.
We design our processes to reduce the need to repeat distressing details.
Our staff are trained to respond appropriately and compassionately.
We support staff wellbeing, recognising that hearing complaints can also be emotionally challenging.
Where possible, a single contact point will be allocated to your complaint.

Principle 3 – Respect and Dignity

What this means

Your voice matters and we take what you tell us seriously.

We are committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect throughout the complaints process.

What you can expect

We expect all staff to communicate in a respectful and polite way.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to abuse and violence.
We have zero tolerance for discrimination on any basis.
We use inclusive and welcoming language to help everyone feel heard, respected and safe.
We are open, transparent, and listen to understand.
You will not be disadvantaged or penalised for making a complaint. If you have concerns about this we will discuss them with you in a safe, age-appropriate manner.
We protect your right to speak up.
We respect your privacy. We will tell you if the law requires us to share your information with someone else.

Principle 4 – Accessible and Inclusive

We believe everyone should be able to raise concerns safely, easily and without barriers. We’re committed to accessible complaints processes that are responsive to the diverse needs of children, young people and families.

We are committed to being culturally accessible, inclusive and responsive, especially in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ identities, histories and experiences.

We are committed to culturally safe and responsive practices.

What you can expect

We support a ‘no wrong door’ approach to raising complaints or concerns. You don’t need to know the ‘right’ team or person to speak to. All staff members have a responsibility to help direct your complaint to the right place.
There are many accessible options to help you submit a complaint, including online, by phone, with someone to write for you, through a translator and/or with support from a trusted person. You can also raise your complaint in person with local operations staff. If you need help, we’ll work with you to find the best way.
We will make information clear and easy to understand.
We will provide information in different formats and languages and interpreters when needed to support communication.
We recognise that children, young people and families come from diverse backgrounds and may face unique challenges. We are alert to these differences and committed to responding with sensitivity and respect.
If you need help making a complaint, we will connect you with the right people, such as interpreters, advocates, or someone who can help you with reading of writing.

Principle 5 – Procedural Fairness

We will manage complaints in a fair and objective way, following all relevant laws, regulations and standards.

What you can expect

We treat complaints confidentially, where it is safe and appropriate to do so.
We will thoroughly document and secure all complaint and investigation information.
If we need to share the information you provide, we will tell you.
We provide clear explanations, to all parties to a complaint, about how the complaint will be handled and what each party can expect throughout the process.
To the extent possible, we will let you know the outcome of your complaint and how the decision was made. We might not be able to tell you everything if there are confidentiality or information-sharing restrictions we need to follow, but we will explain what we can and can’t tell you.
We offer appropriate support to staff who are involved in or named in a complaint; we recognise that the process can be challenging for all parties.
We apply our complaints procedures consistently and take responsibility for our decisions and actions.
If you make a complaint, you have the right to request a review so that another person, independent of the initial complaint management process, can make sure the process was fair and properly followed. You also have the right to request a review from an external body.
Our staff are trained to understand their responsibilities in managing complaints fairly, consistently and in line with all relevant laws, regulations and standards.

Principle 6 – Timely Response

We understand that when you make a complaint, you want to know what’s happening and when.

We promise to manage complaints promptly, keeping you informed every step of the way

What you can expect

We acknowledge all complaints when they are received and let you know what will happen next.
We provide clear information about how your complaint will be managed and how long the process is expected to take.
We do our best to respond to complaints as quickly as possible, while ensuring they are handled thoroughly and fairly.
If there’s a delay or change in the expected timeframe, we’ll let you know promptly and explain why.
If you’re unsure about any part of the complaints process, we encourage you to ask questions.
We will let you know when the complaint process is closed.

Principle 7 – Continuous Improvement

We see complaints as a way to be accountable, and an opportunity to learn, grow and improve the way we work.

We commit to continuously strengthening our services through analysis and feedback.

What you can expect

Our staff are trained so they can better identify and manage complaints, based on best practice.
We keep a record of all complaints and the steps we take to address them, in order to help us track progress, identify patterns and improve our services.
We acknowledge when we haven’t done what we promised and take responsibility. Where appropriate, we offer remedies and take steps to prevent similar issues in the future.
We regularly review and improve our complaints processes based on feedback from people with lived experience, and using data and evidence.
We will review this Guide one year after its release and implement improvements based on feedback from people with lived experience, and using data and evidence.

Responsibilities of all DECYP workers regarding complaints

At DECYP all workers are responsible for identifying and responding to complaints in accordance with this Guide.
All DECYP workers are expected to understand and comply with the Tasmanian State Service Code of Conduct and DECYP Conduct and Behaviour Standards. Complaints about worker conduct or behaviour are treated especially seriously.
All DECYP workers must report complaints / concerns about the behaviour or conduct of another worker.

Responsibilities of specific DECYP roles and teams

The Secretary, DECYP:

is accountable to the Minister for Children and Youth for making sure all DECYP services are safe and high quality
holds ultimate responsibility for the way DECYP handles complaints and for ensuring all staff meet the expectations set out in this Guide
must, as the leader of an organisation, report concerns of worker misconduct related to child abuse to the Independent Regulator
may decide that an internal review or external investigation is required for very serious complaints and concerns
provides a direct complaint escalation pathway to children and young people in youth detention who have unresolved complaints
is responsible for monitoring and reviewing complaints data across all DECYP services to identify systemic issues and to ensure improvement
makes sure this Guide is updated within two years.

The Child Advocates:

The Child Advocates have a special role to support children and young people in care. They:

make sure children and young people are involved in decisions about them
help children and young people to understand their rights in care, including the right to make a complaint
listen to children and young people if their rights are not being upheld
support children and young people to speak up, or speak up on their behalf
help children understand how the Child Safety Service works
listen to the ideas of children and young people about how the Child Safety Service can work better
give advice to leaders and managers of the Child Safety Service about how the Service can best meet the needs of children and young people.

Principals and Managers:

model and promote a culture where complaints are valued by all workers as a way to learn and improve
give direction and support to workers, especially around handling complex or sensitive issues
make sure each service provides easy ways for you to share your concerns and complaints
ensure workers have the appropriate skills and training to perform their complaint-handling roles
make sure serious matters are reported to the appropriate bodies
help identify emerging child safeguarding risks and ways to mitigate them
review complaint outcomes to find patterns where we need to improve, and report findings to the Secretary, relevant Ministers and other bodies as appropriate.

Local (service-level) complaints teams:

respond to and manage complaints at the local level. This might be a school, CFLC, AYDC or a care placement.
are often best placed to provide the quickest and most effective resolution to your issue.

Our complaints management process

All across DECYP, you can expect our staff to follow the same basic steps to manage your complaint.

Step 1 – Record

When a complaint is made, or someone wants to raise a concern, we record it. This includes recording what you would like to happen to resolve the issue.

Step 2 – Acknowledge

We let you know that we got your complaint. We aim to do this within 3 working days.

We give you initial information about what will happen next and when.

If we are unable to respond to your complaint, we will let you know and tell you why. We will also let you know what other options you may have.

Step 3 – Assess

We look at the complaint to determine what it is about and how it needs to be handled.

We will contact you if we need to follow up on or clarify any information.

Step 4 – External notification

If we need to tell someone outside the department to keep a child safe, we will.

There are special laws around this that we need to follow.

Step 5 – Gather information

We will collect all the important information and listen to everyone involved fairly and as quickly as we can.

Sometimes, and especially when a complaint relates to a child being hurt, it might take longer to understand all the relevant details. If there are any delays, we promise to let you know.

Step 6 – Decide

Someone who understands the rules will make a fair decision about what happened and if anything should be done differently.

This person will look at all the available information and what was said or done along the way.

This person will decide potential outcomes and/or consequences for the people involved.

Step 7 – Communicate the decision

We will explain the outcome to you, to the extent possible. If there are things we can’t share, we will explain this to you.

We make sure everyone understands what was decided and why, based on the information we had available and the laws we had to follow.

If you are not happy with the decision, we will advise you what other options you might have.

Step 8 – Resolve

We will try to provide you with an outcome that resolves the issue you brought to our attention.

The outcome could take a variety of forms, but it will always put the interests of Tasmanian children and young people first.

If we have made a mistake, we will apologise and try our best to make it right.

We know that not everyone will always be happy with the decision we make, but we will do our best to make sure you understand what happened and why.

Step 9 – Monitor

We keep a record of the decision and all the steps we took.

This allows our senior leaders at DECYP to monitor the types of complaints we receive and look for ways the whole department can improve.

Our complaints model

DECYP supports complaints handling at different levels, depending on the type and seriousness of the complaint.
There are different entry points for making a complaint, but once we receive your complaint, this is the general model that applies.
We will never ask you to contact anyone you don’t feel safe with.

Early Resolution

Resolution at the local service level

When a complaint is made that can be resolved easily, we try and make that happen where the complaints is raised. This might be an individual DECYP School, CFLC, or care facility or AYDC. We trust our workers to listen and work together with you, so that everyone understands what happened and why, and to take simple steps to resolve the matter.

Further review

Someone further removed from the situation handles the complaint

All complaints are important, and we will treat them seriously at every level. However, in the following situations we will make sure someone different than the people you normally work or interact with look at the issue:

complaint or concern about the safety of a child
complaint or concern about the behaviour of staff
you are unhappy with how we dealt with your problem at the point of service.

This is to make sure we did things fairly and that the right process was followed.

External review

Someone outside of DECYP looks at the complaint

If you are unhappy with how we dealt with your complaint or how we resolved it, you can raise it with people outside our department. This includes people like the Office of the Independent Regulator and the Tasmanian Ombudsman. When they look at complaints, they check to see if we followed the rules and the law and tell us if we can do better.

Our legal obligations

There are many laws we must follow in the way we respond to and handle complaints. Here are some key laws and other instruments that have helped us shape this document.

Convention of the Rights of the Child

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an international agreement that the Australian Government and many other countries have signed. It lists and describes the promises made to protect the rights of children and young people.

We note in particular the following articles:

Article 3

The best interests of the child must be a top priority in all decisions and actions that affect children

Article 12

Every child has the right to express their views feelings and wishes all matters affecting them and to have their views considered and taken seriously

Child and Youth Safe Organisations Act 2023 (CYSO Act)

The CYSO Act was created to protect and promote the best interests of children. It sets out a list of Child and Youth Safe Standards that all organisations, including DECYP, must follow to:
- promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people; and
- prevent abuse and harm to children and young people

We explain what the Standards mean for DECYP in our Safeguarding Framework

We note in particular Standard 6, which requires processes for responding to complaints and concerns to be child focussed.

The CYSO Act also sets out when leaders of an organisation, including DECYP, can share information about child safety, welfare or wellbeing with other bodies under specific rules, to keep a child or young person safe.

Laws relevant to specific DECYP services

The following laws also contain provisions on how children, young people and their families can make complaints about specific DECYP services:

These laws mean that the details for how we manage complaints in each of our services areas are a little different.

You can find more details about how we handle complaints in different parts of DECYP in the following documents:
- Complaint Management Procedure for Child Safety and Youth Justice Operations
- Complaints Management Procedure for Ashley Youth Detention Centre

People outside of DECYP who can help you with your complaint

There are other people and organisations, referred to as ‘oversight bodies’, who can help you if you have a complaint or concern about the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. The main oversight bodies are:
- Ombudsman
- Custodial Inspector
- Integrity Commission
- Commissioner for Children and Young People
- Office of the Independent Regulator
- Registration to Work with Vulnerable People

Some of these organisations can help you with an external review of a complaint decision – if you are unhappy with how we dealt with your complaint or how we resolved it.

If you do want to request an external review, we will help you contact the right organisation.

Here is a Guide to Tasmanian Oversight Bodies that was created to give you a clear picture of what the different oversight bodies can – and cannot – do if a concern is raised with them. They work together, applying a ‘no wrong door approach’, so that your concern will always get to the right place.

Key terms

Key term	Definition
Advocate	is someone who stands up for someone else’s rights.
Anonymous	means telling you we are sorry for something we did or didn’t do, or that didn’t live up to the quality of service we promised. This does not mean fault in the legal sense.
Apology	means telling you we are sorry for something we did or didn’t do, or that didn’t live up to the quality of service we promised. This does not mean fault in the legal sense.
Accessible	means a service or system is available and easy to use for as many people as possible.
Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework	is a law to keep children safe in organisations, including DECYP.
Complaint	an expression that someone is unsatisfied with a DECYP service or worker, and expects a response or resolution. A complaint can also be about how a complaint management process was handled.
Concern	this means something a person feels worried, uneasy, or uncertain about regarding a DECYP worker or service. We treat concerns as a type of complaint.
Conduct	means behaviour or actions.
Confidential	means information will be kept private, unless someone’s safety is at risk, the law requires it to be shared, or someone gives permission for their information to be shared
Family	includes all caregivers involved in the lives of children and young people. This includes kinship relationships; de facto relationships, adoptive relationships, fostering relationships, siblings, extended families, and guardians.
Feedback	means suggestions, compliments, opinions or comments made about DECYP services, staff or its handling of a complaint. Feedback is different from a complaint because a response is not expected.
Grievance	is a problem, concern or issue raised by a worker who believes they have been treated unreasonably by DECYP or another person(s) in the workplace. Grievances do not fall under this Guide but are managed by DECYP through other processes.
Investigation	is a systematic approach to find out what happened and why.
Misconduct	at DECYP this means breaches of the Tasmanian Conduct of Conduct Standards. It includes physical/emotional abuse, sexual misconduct, harassment, discrimination, violence, substance misuse, and unprofessional relationships with children. DECYP is required to report some types of misconduct, especially anything related to child abuse, to the Office of the Independent Regulator.
Oversight bodies	are organisations outside of DECYP who can hear or respond to concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child or young person. The main oversight bodies for Tasmania are The Office of the Independent Regulator, the Ombudsman, the Commissioner for Children and Young People, the Custodial Inspector, the Integrity Commission and the Registration to Work with Vulnerable People Scheme.
Procedural fairness	is the fairness of the process used to reach a decision. This is not about whether a complainant believes a decision itself was fair.
Resolution	is the finalisation of the complaint process in line with this Guide
Worker	means all DECYP employees and volunteers, and all external providers used by DECYP who work with children and young people.

Types of communication that are not considered a complaint

Requests for information / enquiries

Requests for access to documents, or general information (e.g. asking for school enrolment details or policy explanations) are not complaints unless they involve dissatisfaction with how the request was handled.

Request for a change in service or a new service

A complaint needs to concern an existing service. This ensures that our complaints management processes can focus on resolving existing issues and improving accountability.

If, for example, you are telling us we should build a new school or change the operating hours of a service, this is not a complaint.

Comments posted on social media platforms are not considered complaints. These channels do not provide the necessary detail to support a fair and thorough investigation, and we are unable to properly track them.

Industrial or employment matters

Complaints involving disputes between the department and unions, or employment-related grievances (e.g. pay, conditions, recruitment outcomes) are not covered by this Guide. They are managed through separate industrial relations processes.

Complaints intended to be disruptive or harassing

We are committed to treating all complaints seriously and respectfully. However, we also expect complaints to be made honestly and in good faith. If a complaint is intended to be disruptive or harassing, or not made with genuine intent, it may fall outside the scope of our complaints process.

We may also decline to assess a complaint if:
- the issue is very minor or trivial or vexatious (intended to cause trouble or distress)
- another more appropriate remedy is available
- it has been more than two years since the issue arose
- the complaint has already been finalised, and no new information has been provided that would merit a new process
- the matter is subject to legal action (i.e. court proceedings are occurring) and the complaint should be addressed through the legal process.

Matters that are outside of DECYP control

There are certain matters that DECYP does not have control over, including decisions made by courts or tribunals.

If you are dissatisfied with a court or tribunal decision that has led to your or your child’s involvement with a DECYP service, we cannot address this under the DECYP complaints processes.

Any challenge to a court or tribunal decision must be pursued through the relevant legal appeal or review processes.