Incidents and Complaints Policy

Incidents and Complaints

Last Updated: 02/02/2024

Young Heroes is committed to providing a safe, supportive, and professional environment for both families and support workers. We take all incidents and complaints seriously, and we have established this policy to ensure that any concerns or issues raised are handled promptly, fairly, and in accordance with relevant laws and best practices.

This policy applies to all users of the Young Heroes platform, including families (clients) and support workers (service providers).

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide a clear and consistent approach to handling incidents and complaints. It aims to:

  • Ensure that incidents are identified, reported, and investigated promptly.
  • Provide a transparent process for families and support workers to raise complaints or concerns.
  • Ensure that all parties involved in incidents or complaints are treated fairly and with respect.
  • Comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including those related to child safety and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

2. What Constitutes an Incident?

An incident is any event or occurrence that may cause harm, disruption, or potential risk to the health, safety, and well-being of a child, support worker, or anyone involved in the provision of services. Incidents may include, but are not limited to:

  • Any suspicion or evidence of child abuse or neglect, please use our Child Safety Reporting Form.
  • Any incidents that pose a risk to the safety of the child or support worker.
  • Situations where a child or support worker requires medical attention.
  • Aggressive or inappropriate behaviour by a child or support worker.
  • Any breach of professional conduct, including failure to adhere to agreed-upon care plans or NDIS guidelines.

All incidents should be reported immediately to ensure appropriate action is taken.

3. What Constitutes a Complaint?

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction regarding the services provided by the platform, support workers, or families. Complaints may relate to:

  • Dissatisfaction with the quality, delivery, or outcome of the services provided.
  • Poor communication between the family and support worker, or delays in response times.
  • Issues with the website or platform, including technical difficulties or user experience problems.
  • Concerns about professionalism, respect, or behaviour by either the family or the support worker.

Complaints should be raised as soon as possible to ensure they can be investigated and resolved in a timely manner.

4. Reporting an Incident or Complaint

If you experience an incident or wish to file a complaint, please follow these steps:

Step 1: Notify the Platform

  • For Incidents or Child Safety concerns: Report immediately by contacting us to provide details of the incident and fill out the Incident Form or Child Safety Reporting Form.
  • For Complaints: Submit a formal complaint through the platform’s complaint and Feedback Form or by emailing our team with the following information:
    • Your name and contact details.
    • A description of the issue or concern.
    • The names of individuals involved, if applicable.
    • Any relevant dates, times, or supporting documents.

Step 2: Acknowledgment and Initial Review

  • Upon receipt of your complaint or incident report, we will acknowledge your report within 1-2 business days.
  • For Child Safety Concerns, we will acknowledge the report as soon as possible, within 24 business hours.
  • A member of our team will conduct an initial review of the matter to determine the appropriate course of action.

Step 3: Investigation and Resolution

  • For Incidents: If the incident involves potential harm or a serious breach (e.g., child safety, medical emergency), it will be escalated immediately to the relevant authorities, such as child protection services or the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
  • For Complaints: We will investigate all complaints fairly and impartially, aiming to resolve the issue within 1 business day. If the issue requires more time to resolve, we will keep you informed of the progress.

5. Our Responsibilities in Handling Incidents and Complaints

  • We will ensure that all complaints and incidents are handled impartially and respectfully, providing all parties with an opportunity to respond.
  • We aim to resolve all incidents and complaints in a timely manner. The complexity of the issue may affect how quickly it can be resolved, but we will keep you updated regularly.
  • We will maintain the confidentiality of all parties involved in the incident or complaint process, except where disclosure is required by law or for the protection of individuals involved.
  • We will not tolerate retaliation against any individual for reporting an incident or making a complaint in good faith.

6. Actions We May Take

Depending on the outcome of our investigation, the following actions may be taken:

  • For incidents related to child safety, medical emergencies, or serious violations, we will follow up with the appropriate authorities and take steps to prevent further harm.
  • We may offer a range of resolutions, including:
    • Apologies where appropriate.
    • Additional support or training for support workers.
    • Modifications to the services or platform if the complaint relates to service delivery or platform issues.
    • Referral to external agencies or support services if needed.

In cases where a support worker or family is found to be in breach of the platform’s policies or the law, we may suspend or terminate their access to the platform.

7. Escalating Your Complaint

If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your incident or complaint, you may escalate the matter by:

  1. Engaging with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission for complaints regarding NDIS service delivery or worker conduct.
  2. Contacting relevant child protection authorities if your complaint relates to child safety or abuse concerns.

8. Continuous Improvement

We are committed to continuous improvement and use feedback from incidents and complaints to improve our services, platform functionality, and policies. We regularly review our processes to ensure we are meeting the highest standards of safety, service, and user satisfaction.

9. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this policy or need assistance with reporting an incident or filing a complaint, please contact us:

Young heroes

Incidents Form

or

Complaints and Feedback Form

or

Admin@youngheroes.com.au