Issues and complaints

Issues

As a normal part of working together with Child Safety and your foster and kinship care service, differences of opinion may arise about the service you or the child in your care are receiving. Issues can arise when goals, roles, expectations and/or timelines are not clear.  If this happens it is best to raise the issue informally and as soon as possible so they have the best chance of a timely and satisfactory resolution.

Complaints

A complaint is more significant than a worry or issue and is a dissatisfaction about Child's Safety's service or the behaviour of staff that requires a response or resolution. A complaint may be raised about:

• a decision Child Safety has made or not made
• the service provided or not provided by Child Safety
• the service provided by your foster and kinship care service
• the behaviour of Child Safety staff
• services received by National Disability Insurance Scheme providers in relation to the child in care
• a breach of Child Safety's obligations under the Information Privacy Act.

Child Safety’s complaints process

Child Safety is committed to listening to and responding to your complaints in a private, sensitive and fair manner. Child Safety follows a three stage complaints management process:

Step 1: Local Complaint Management

Usually, the best place to start is by contacting your local child safety service centre and talking to the person you have been working with or ask to speak to their supervisor or manager. Some complaints may be easily addressed through the provision of information or through negotiating a desired outcome.

Alternatively, you are able to contact the Regional Office and ask to speak to the Senior Advisor.

Step 2: Escalation of Complaint

If you are unhappy with the outcome from the local process, you can contact the Complaints Unit. The Complaints Unit will keep you informed throughout the process, how long this may take, and the outcome reached.

You can contact the Complaints Unit by:

• telephone on 1800 080 464 (free call)
• sending an email to feedback@csyw.qld.gov.au
• using the online form
• attending in person, where this has been arranged
• by writing to:
  Complaints Unit
  Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services
  Locked Bag 3405, Brisbane Qld 4001

If you require support, you can contact your care service support worker or Queensland Foster and Kinship Care. The Complaints Unit response will depend on the nature and complexity of the complaint.

Step 3: External review

If you are unhappy with the outcome from raising complaints with Child Safety, you may contact the Office of the Queensland Ombudsman who can review the Queensland Government’s management of your complaint.

Find out more about how to make a complaint.

Can a child in care make a complaint?

A child in care can also make a complaint to Child Safety by following the above process. They can also do this by logging onto kicbox and using the contact and support link to locate complaints. This will then take them to our website where they can complete ‘Got a Problem? Make your Voice Heard’ form, or by raising their complaint during their contact with a Community Visitor.

QCAT and Reviewable decisions

The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) is an independent tribunal within the Department of Justice and Attorney-General which can take a new look at (review) some decisions made about you or the child in your care by Child Safety. These are called ‘reviewable decisions’ and are listed in Schedule 2 of the Child Protection Act 1999, and include:

• refusing an application for approval as a foster or kinship carer, other than for reasons of not having a Blue Card
• refusing an application to amend an approval certificate, or amending an authority (other than a provisional certificate of approval)
• removing a child from your care (excluding provisionally approved carers)
• suspending or cancelling an authority, other than a provisional certificate.

When one of these reviewable decisions is made by Child Safety, you will be advised of the decision in writing and the reasons for the decision. If you don’t agree, you have up to 28 days to apply to QCAT for a review of the decision. You can also apply for a ‘stay’ of the decision. A ‘stay’ stops Child Safety from carrying out the decision until QCAT can have a final hearing into the matter.

There are also decisions that a child in care can seek a review of. Parents of the child also have reviewable rights to some of Child Safety’s decision, as can the Office of the Public Guardian.

There is no cost to you for lodging an application to QCAT to review one of these decisions.

For more information, including QCAT application forms, visit the QCAT website.

Resources

• Got a problem? Make your voice heard (PDF), Got a problem? Make your voice heard (DOCX)
• Guide to making a complaint