Complain about a community service

How to complain to the ACT Community Services Directorate if you’re unhappy with the quality of service, the behaviour of staff or you want a different outcome.

If you’re not happy with a Community Services Directorate service, or a community service provider in the ACT, you can complain to us or give us feedback.

Find out how to complain and what to do next if you can’t get your complaint resolved.

Complaints about our services

We welcome your complaint or feedback. It helps the Community Services Directorate fix problems and improve services.

If we can’t fix the problem, we’ll connect you with someone who can help.

Before making a complaint

If you can, talk to the person, area or organisation where your issue or complaint started. Most complaints can be resolved with a simple conversation.

Make a complaint

If you could not get the issue resolved by talking to the person, you can complain to the Community Services Directorate. You’ll need to contact the area that relates to your complaint.

You can usually get your complaint resolved faster if you call or email.

Public housing and Housing ACT complaints

You can complain about public housing, neighbours, Housing ACT services, maintenance, staff, or Housing ACT processes and policies.

To complain to Housing ACT, you can:

call 02 6207 1515
email Housing.Complaints@act.gov.au
post to Locked Bag 3000, Belconnen ACT 2617.

Repairs or maintenance complaints about your public housing

If Programmed did the maintenance or repairs at your home, talk to them first:

call 02 6207 1500
email 62071500@act.gov.au.

If they do not fix the issue, you can complain to Housing ACT.

Child and Youth Protection Services complaints

You can complain about child protection and youth justice services:

call 02 6207 5294
email CSDCYFComplaints@act.gov.au.

Complaints about disability services, community housing providers, or care and protection organisations

You can contact Regulation, Assurance and Quality:

call 02 6207 5474
email quality@act.gov.au.

If they can’t fix the problem, they’ll connect you with someone who can help.

Complaints about an organisation working with us

You should talk to the organisation first. If you can’t get your complaint resolved, follow the organisation’s complaints process to make a formal complaint.

If they can’t fix the issue, you can ask us to help with your complaint.

If you do not know who to talk to about your complaint

You can contact Community Services Directorate:

You can also complain online through Access Canberra.

Complain online

What to include in your complaint

Give us as much information about the problem as possible.

You should include:

your full name
your phone number or email address
a description of the problem or incident
dates of events and who you’ve contacted about the problem
names and addresses of people involved
details of telephone conversations or meetings
reference numbers if you have any
evidence such as photographs if useful (for example, public housing maintenance)
what you’ve tried to fix the problem
what you would like to happen.

If you do not give us your name and contact details, we cannot investigate your complaint.

If you need help to make a complaint

Let us know what we can do to help you.

We can also help you get a:

support person
advocate
interpreter.

Other agencies that may be able to help include:

After you make your complaint

When you make your complaint, we’ll follow our Complaint Handling and Management Policy to review, respond to and resolve your complaint.

If you make your complaint on the phone or in person, we’ll try to resolve it straight away.

If we cannot resolve your complaint straight away, you’ll get a response to your complaint within 15 days.

If we need more time to investigate your complaint

Some complex complaints may take more time. We’ll let you know about the progress of your complaint.

If we need to investigate your complaint, this can take about 30 days.

If you're not happy with the outcome

You can ask us to review your complaint.

An independent section in the Community Services Directorate may review your complaint. We call this a complaint review.

To ask for a complaint review, contact Regulation, Assurance and Quality:

call 02 6207 0412
email CSDRAQComplaintsandFeedback@act.gov.au.

They may:

investigate the complaint and how it was managed
check that laws, policies and procedures were followed.

You’ll get an outcome in writing within 60 working days.

Complaint review outcome

A complaint investigation will not:

make someone change a decision. For example, change Care and Protection Orders or a Housing ACT needs category to priority.
lead to compensation
lead to disciplinary action or firing an employee.

If you’re not happy with the outcome of the complaint review, you can take your complaint to an independent agency.

If you've been treated unfairly because you complained

You should tell us if you think our staff are acting unfairly towards you or not dealing properly with your complaint.

You can report it by writing to us.

Post
People, Capability and Culture
Community Services Directorate
PO Box 158
Canberra ACT 2601

Complain to an independent agency

If you can't get your complaint resolved, you can take your complaint to one of the following:

Human Rights Commission: investigates complaints about services for children and young people, disability services and tenancy disputes.
Public Advocate of the ACT: advocates for people who may not have other ways of having their rights protected, including children and young people, people with severe mental health conditions or complex disabilities.
ACT Official Visitors: visits and helps resolve complaints from people in government institutions and community facilities who are dependent on service providers.
ACT Ombudsman: investigates complaints from people who believe they have been treated unfairly or unreasonably by an ACT Government directorate or agency.
ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal: hears and decides cases and disputes about rental properties, guardianship and property management, discrimination.
ACT Auditor General's Office: reviews the accountability, efficiency and effectiveness of the ACT Public Sector

Complaints handling and management policies

Our Complaints Handling and Management Policy sets out how we respond to complaints and feedback.

It covers all areas of the Community Services Directorate.