Customer complaints: Our commitment to you

At icare, we rely on and value your feedback. If you're unhappy about an experience you've had with us, we want to hear about it.

A series of 6 interlinking violet circles. Running from let to right the first circle represents "Treating you with respect", second "Information and access", third "Good communication", fourth "Taking ownership", fifth "Timely and fair outcomes and sixth "Transparency".

These commitments are our promise to you about what you can expect when you make a complaint.

Treating you with respect

We're committed to treating you with courtesy and respect by giving you:

  • a way to express how you feel about your situation
  • someone to understand how you've been affected and your desired outcome
  • empathy without judgement, regardless of your circumstances
  • someone with the skills and knowledge to help you at the earliest opportunity.

We also:

  • have a complaint policy that requires staff to treat you with courtesy, empathy and respect
  • train staff in customer service, complaint handling and supporting those who may be experiencing complex circumstances
  • review the type and number of complaints received about our staff and take appropriate action to respond as necessary.

Information and accessibility

If you want to make a complaint, we'll give you:

  • a range of ways to find us and lodge a complaint with clear, concise guidance at the first point of contact
  • a clear plan for the best way to action your complaint
  • information about the complaint process, including next steps and the expected timeframe.

We make it easy and accessible for you to make a complaint and if you need help to lodge a complaint we will help you. You can readily access information about our complaint processes in a variety of formats and across a range of media. This information includes:

  • how to make a complaint
  • what you can expect about the process
  • contact point to enable you to get more information about the complaint process
  • help and assistance available for those who may need it.

If you make a complaint we will listen and be actively involved in the complaint process. We are happy to be flexible in handling a complaint to enhance accessibility. If you prefer or need a third party to assist or represent you in the complaint process, we will take all reasonable steps to facilitate this.

We are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your information and will handle all complaint information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable regulatory requirements.

We will ask for your consent where required and your personal information will be actively protected from disclosure without consent during the complaint process.

You will not be charged to make a complaint and to participate in the complaint process. We aim to ensure that you are not left in a worse position as a result of raising a complaint. We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that you are not adversely affected if you make a complaint.

Good communication

We will acknowledge your complaint and let you know the expected timeframes and your likely involvement in the process. We keep you informed about the status of your complaint by:

  • acknowledging receipt of your complaint and giving you information about the process including a contact point for inquiries; the likely next steps; and the expected timeframe to finalise your complaint
  • providing you with updates on your complaint at regular intervals
  • providing you with reasons for delay and a revised timeframe, if we cannot meet the original timeframe
  • communicating the complaint outcome and the reasons
  • letting you know about internal and external review options, where available.

We will advise you, as soon as possible, when we are unable to deal with any part of a complaint and guide you to where such issues and/or complaints may be directed (if known and appropriate). 

Taking ownership

The staff who manage your complaint are appropriately trained and skilled. One person and/or a team is responsible for managing your complaint, and their contact details are made available to you. We will inform you if your complaint is transferred to another person or team.

We will assess and prioritise complaints in accordance with the urgency and/or seriousness of the issues raised. If a matter concerns an immediate risk to safety or security, the response will be immediate and will be escalated appropriately.

We will assess each complaint on its merits and involve you and/or your representative in the process as far as possible. Where a complaint involves multiple parties (both internal and external), we will work with the other parties, where appropriate, to facilitate a timely response to the complaint and so that communication with you is clear and coordinated. 

Timely and fair outcomes

We are committed to consistent, effective and efficient management of complaints to deliver fair outcomes for those we serve.

We do our best to deal with your complaint as soon as possible. We have set and made public expected timeframes and KPIs for finalising complaints which recognise the differing levels of seriousness, urgency and complexity of complaints received.

We aim to investigate and resolve each complaint with integrity and in an equitable, objective and unbiased manner to provide a fair outcome to you.

If there are unavoidable delays in dealing with your complaint, we will inform you and explain the reasons.

We will take all reasonable steps to prioritise the resolution of a complaint over the resolution of internal issues identified as a result of the complaint.

Conflicts of interests, whether actual or perceived, will be managed in accordance with our Conflicts of Interests Policy. 

Transparency

We take a consistent and systematic approach to complaint management to enable the fair, efficient and effective handling of complaints.

We record and analyse information on our complaint-handling processes including:

  • number of complaints received
  • number of complaints finalised
  • percentage of complaints finalised within our KPIs
  • issues raised by complaints
  • actions taken in response to complaints
  • systemic issues identified
  • number of requests received for internal and/or external review.

What we ask of you

So we can best serve you, there are a few things we hope you'll help us with:

Be polite: We ask that you communicate with respect. Abusive, offensive or threatening language will not be tolerated.

Be accurate: It helps your case if we have the correct facts and documents; provide the best information you can by organising the documents you send to help us understand your situation.

Be clear: Please try to focus on the facts that are relevant to your complaint. Communicating clearly will help us correctly understand your situation as soon as possible.

This will allow us to investigate and resolve each complaint with integrity and in an equitable, objective and unbiased manner to provide a fair outcome to you.

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