Complaints and Feedback Policy

Complaints about us

We aim to provide a high quality service. If you are unhappy with the Ageing and Disability Commission (ADC), you can complain to us.

We value your feedback

Complaints and feedback help us to improve how we work. We take complaints seriously, and will deal with your concerns fairly and impartially. If we are doing something well, we would also like to hear from you – we will make sure the relevant staff member receives your feedback.

What can a complaint be about?

You can make a complaint about:

the behaviour or conduct of our staff
our policies, procedures or practices
any aspect of the services we provide.

How do I make a complaint?

We aim to resolve complaints at the first point of contact with our office, where possible. If you are not happy with our handling of a matter, speak with the relevant case officer about your concerns. You can also speak with the officer’s supervisor if you feel unable to speak directly to the case officer or you have not been able to resolve the issue.

You can make a complaint by:

Phone: 1800 628 221, or to the relevant case officer
Mail: PO Box 40, Parramatta NSW 2124
Email: commissioner@adc.nsw.gov.au

If you would like to make a complaint in person, please call or email us and we can make a time to meet with you.

We can accept anonymous complaints. However, this does limit our ability to look into the issues and to provide you with a response.

Can someone help me make a complaint?

Yes. We can provide support for you to make a complaint, such as help to write down your concerns. Please let us know if you have any particular communication needs.

You can also nominate another person or organisation to represent you in your complaint, such as an advocate, carer or friend.

If you need help to communicate, there are services that can help you, including:

National Relay Service – 1800 555 660
Translating and Interpreter Service (TIS) – 131 450
Text telephone – 133 667

What happens when I make a complaint?

If we were unable to resolve your concerns at the first point of contact, your complaint will be referred to the appropriate manager, who will consider how best to respond to your concerns.

We will acknowledge your complaint within two working days.

We will make sure that the person handling the complaint is not the staff member whose conduct or service is being complained about. We will let you know who will be dealing with your matter.

We will treat you with courtesy and respect. We will assess the complaint, including the outcome(s) you are seeking, and consider how the complaint should be addressed. When responding to the complaint, we might do one or more of following:

give you further information or an explanation
take action to fix the matter or improve the situation
apologise
gather information from the staff member or area that the complaint is about
undertake to review the practice, policy or procedure as a result of your complaint
investigate the complaint.

We aim to resolve complaints within 20 working days of receiving them. We will keep you informed about the status of your complaint, including any delays in resolving the matter.

We will provide you with an explanation of the action we took in response to your complaint, and the reasons for any decisions we made.

Our Complaints and Feedback Policy (DOCX, 267.2 KB) provides more details about how we deal with complaints about us.

What if I am still unhappy?

If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint to us, you can make a complaint to the NSW Ombudsman. The NSW Ombudsman handles complaints about NSW public sector agencies, including the ADC.

Last updated:

25 Oct 2023