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Who handles complaints against help lines?

catalyticSenior Contributor09 Nov 2015, 11:24 pm AEDT

Who handles complaints against help lines?

I would like to make about one of the organisations linked to this forum. The organisation will not tell me how to go about this. As they are a non profit helpline the mental health services commisioner will not assist. They are funded by the Victorian department of health, they have a board of directors...who can I contact? and how can I get access to all the information they have on me and what information they passed onto others. I wouldn't have bothered coming back here, but I guess the only people that would know would be here. Lets see how long this post stays here before it gets deleted. It seems every time I want to complain about a particular service I"m censored. I haven't mentioned any names and I don't intend to, I would just like my complaint heard and something done about it. Emails to managers have gotten me no where.

4 replies

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In response to: Who handles complaints against help lines?

chibamSenior Contributor10 Nov 2015, 3:06 am AEDT

Re: Who handles complaints against help lines?

I'm not sure. It certainly sounds like a complicated issue. I'm sure there must be some protocol for having complaints about not-for-profits heard because otherwise any not-for-profit organization would be able to get away with all kinds of rubbish.

If this was a for-profit organization you had a problem with, you could go to the consumer ombudsman and have your dispute heard, but in the case of a non-profit... I don't know.

All I can suggest is that you ask the consumer ombudsman who you can talk to about a dispute with a non-profit organization. They mightn't be able to help you, but I'd be willing to bet they'd know who can.

In response to: Who handles complaints against help lines?

chookmojoSenior Contributor10 Nov 2015, 6:23 pm AEDT

Re: Who handles complaints against help lines?

If they are big enough to have a Board of Directors they probably have a formal complaints process. If you can find the number for the head office of the organisation and politely ask for the appropriate person to speak to about making a complaint. Do not make the complaint or start to go into details with the receptionist. Just ask for who you can talk to about registering a complaint. Or Google the na e of the organisation and complaints process. I tried that out with Lifeline as an example and you get information about their process and how to initiate the process.

It can be a good idea to note down some bullet points before you speak to whoever it is so you can give the basic issue without going into tremendous detail or going off on a rant. It is also a good idea to know what you want to have happen as a result. What's your ideal outcome? What will you settle for? Remember that the person taking g the complaint is not the cause of the complaint so stay polite, calm and on track.

I used to sit next to the complaints officer at my work and the main issue they have is people calling up and just ranting not answerong the specific questions that need to be answered, but just ranting in great and uneccessary detail and not letting her get a word in, or having unrealistic expectations of what she can do or turn around time.

Anything serious will need to be escalated and investigated and won't be resolved overnight, it might take a few contacts back and forth.

In response to: Who handles complaints against help lines?

catalyticSenior Contributor07 Dec 2015, 10:38 pm AEDT

Re: Who handles complaints against help lines?

Well their person was not interested in handing over any iformafion or investigatung the issue. Still no resolution. If a counsellor and a support worker collude against you and make false statements to dhs, in an attempt to have your child taken away, you have absolutely no rights. Glad people here have a network...ive been turned away now from every organisation linked to these forums. Mental health complaints commisoner doesnt do shit just makes you deal with managera from these organisations who dont care. I have a mental illneas therefore nothing i say could possibly be true. Advocacy? There is none for mental illness unless you are rich

In response to: Re: Who handles complaints against help lines?

MoonGalSenior Contributor11 Dec 2015, 11:51 am AEDT

Re: Who handles complaints against help lines?

@catalytic - so sorry to hear you are just getting more runaround and no resolution. Without being seen as being 'on the side' of the people who hurt you, I wonder if you have exhausted all avenues for redress, whether it might be a good thing for you to accept that the bad service happened and move on from it. I know I can carry a huge burden for a very long time by always reflecting on the bad experience. This is always to my own detriment and spirals me into a bad place. I am not suggesting at all on any level that what happened was okay - but maybe accept that it DID happen and it happened to you (and probably others) but for the sake of health to let go of it and find some other service that is more accomodating and a better fit?

Just a thought and said in a spirit of hoping you can look up fromt he bad experience and find somethings that are more helpful to think about?

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