Feedback and complaints

If something is wrong, we want to hear it. Making a complaint will never affect the support you receive. That is not a reassurance, it is the law.

Tell us directly

The fastest route is usually straight to us.

• Phone: 0414 851 688, Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm
• Email: info@hopeharbour.com.au
• In person: tell any Hope Harbour worker, and they are required to pass it on
• Through someone else: a family member, friend, advocate or support coordinator can complain on your behalf

You can complain anonymously. It does limit what we can do, because we cannot come back to you for detail, but we will still investigate.

What we will do

1. Acknowledge it within one business day. You will know we have it.
2. Tell you who is handling it. A named person, not a department.
3. Investigate. We will talk to everyone involved and look at the records. If it involves a worker, they are told what has been raised.
4. Respond within 21 days. In writing if you want it in writing, in Easy Read if that is easier, and by phone if that suits you better.
5. Tell you what changed. Not just what we decided, but what we are doing differently as a result.
6. Tell you where to go next if you are not satisfied with our answer.

Going straight to the NDIS Commission

You do not have to come to us first, and you do not have to tell us you are doing this. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission takes complaints about any NDIS provider.

Other places that can help

• Free independent advocacy: the Disability Advocacy Resource Unit lists Victorian advocates at daru.org.au
• Disability Gateway: 1800 643 787 for information and referral
• Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission: for discrimination complaints, 1300 292 153
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: for privacy complaints, 1300 363 992
• In an emergency, or if someone is in immediate danger: call 000

Compliments and suggestions

Also welcome, and genuinely useful. If a worker has done something well, telling us means it gets recognised. If you can see a better way for us to do something, we would rather hear it early.

How we keep records

We record every complaint, what we did and what came of it. We review them regularly to look for patterns rather than treating each one as a one-off. Serious incidents are reportable to the NDIS Commission and we report them. Your personal information is handled under our privacy policy.

This page reflects our complaints and feedback policy. Ask us for the full policy document, in Easy Read if you prefer, at any time.