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 or area 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 or community housing providers
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:
- call 13 34 27
- email CSD@act.gov.au
- webpage Community Services Directorate.
You can also complain online through Access Canberra.
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:
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.
- T1 Complaints Handling and Management Policy - Complaints Handling Charter [PDF 260KB]
- T1 Complaints Handling and Management Policy - Governing Policy [PDF 391KB]
- T2 Complaints Handling and Management Policy - How A Complaint Will Be Handled [PDF 255KB]
- T2 Complaints Handling and Management Policy - Unreasonable Conduct [PDF 270KB]
- T3 Complaints Handling and Management Procedures - How Unreasonable Conduct Will Be Handled [PDF 313KB]
- T3 Complaints Handling and Management Policy - How a Complaint Will be Handled by RAQ [PDF 278KB]