FEEDBACK, CONCERNS OR COMPLAINTS MANAGEMENT PROCESS
1. Our values
We are committed to fostering a school environment that is supportive, respectful, compatible with human rights and provides all students with opportunities to engage in quality learning. Effective partnerships with parents, caregivers, students and school staff is an essential part of us achieving this goal. We want to know what we are doing well, but also if there are any areas where we can improve or do things differently.
2. Purpose
Everton Park State School appreciates and acknowledges that parents, caregivers, students and community members have a right to provide feedback or to raise a concern, or make a complaint. This document outlines how Everton Park State School will manage this process.
3. What is customer feedback, concern or complaint?
Feedback, concern or complaint occurs if the person is unhappy with the service or action or our school or staff, and directly affected by the service or action they are unhappy with.
In our school, the person providing feedback, raising a concern or complaint will usually be a parent, caregiver, student or other school community member, but could also be anyone else directly impacted by something at our school.
Some complaints must be managed using different processes.
These include:
- issues about harm, or risk of harm, to a student attending a state school, which must be managed in accordance with the Student protection procedure; and
- complaints about corrupt conduct, public interest disclosures or certain decisions made under legislation - refer to the Excluded complaints factsheet for more information.
4. Roles and responsibilities
We treat everyone with respect, courtesy and fairness, and aim to act compatibly with human rights. Our responsibilities include:
- following the customer complaints management framework, policy and procedure when managing feedback, concerns or complaints;
- resolving concerns or complaints promptly; and
- providing information about our processes, timeframes and any available review options.
If someone provides feedback, raises a concern or makes a complaint, they also have responsibilities, including:
- cooperating respectfully and understanding that unreasonable conduct will not be tolerated;
- giving us a clear idea of the issue or concern and a possible solution;
- providing all relevant information when making the complaint;
- understanding that addressing a complaint can take time; and
- letting us know if something changes, including if help is no longer needed.
5. Feedback, concerns and complaints management process
At Everton Park State School, our feedback, concerns and complaints management process involves the following steps:
i. Receipt
The feedback, concern or complaint should be made where the problem or issue arose.
At Everton Park State School, we ask parents, caregivers, students or community members who would like to provide feedback, raise a concern or make a complaint to follow this procedure to assist parents, caregivers and school staff to reach an outcome that is in the best interest of the student.
1. Discuss your feedback, concern or complaint with the class teacher
If your feedback, concern or complaint is with your child's teacher or relates to an issue concerning your child's experience at school, make an appointment with that teacher as soon as possible through the school administration. Discuss your feedback, concern or complaint with the teacher and give the teacher an opportunity to suggest a solution. The teacher will make a record of your feedback, concern or complaint and report your meeting and any outcomes to the school principal or to a delegate. Together, both you and your child's teacher should be able to resolve the problem at this level.
2. Discuss your feedback, concern with the sector leader
If after approaching your child's teacher your feedback, concern or complaint remains unresolved, make an appointment to see the sector leader that supports your child's year level to discuss the issue further. Alternatively, you and the teacher may agree to ask the sector leader to act as a go-between in informal conflict resolution in an attempt to resolve the problem.
If your feedback, concern or complaint relates to general school matters, including issues of school policy and issues of compliance or non-compliance, you should raise your feedback, concern or complaint directly with the sector leader, or the inclusion teacher, if related to students with disabilities. If related to finance, discuss directly with the business manager. The staff member will make a record of your feedback, concern or complaint and work with you to come to a resolution.
3. Discuss your feedback, concern or complaint with the principal
If after approaching the sector leader or business manager your feedback, concern or complaint remains unresolved, make an appointment to see the school principal.
Feedback, concerns or complaints to the principal may be lodged in person, by telephone, writing or via email.
The school principal's email address is principal@evertonparkss.eq.edu.au
Everton Park State School – Leadership team
Position
| Name
|
Principal
| Aminta Miller
|
Sector Leader - Year 6
|
|
Deputy Principal
| Meg Parkinson
|
Sector Leader – Years 4 & 5
|
|
Head of Curriculum
| Jodie Bird
|
Sector Leader – Years Prep & 1
|
|
| Pedagogy Coach | Deb Heather
|
Sector Leader – Years 2 & 3
|
|
Head of Special Education Services
| Graham Nunn
|
Sector Leader - Support Team
|
|
The following information should be provided when providing feedback, raising a concern or making a complaint:
- what happened, including when and where it occurred, and who was involved; and
- what outcome or solution you are seeking to address your issue or concern.
We accept anonymous feedback, concerns and complaints; however, it is important to understand that this could limit how a complaint is assessed and resolved, and it may also prevent an outcome being provided.
ii. Assessment and management
We will examine the issue(s) raised and try to resolve the feedback, concern or complaint. We aim to do this promptly, but understand that we have many other responsibilities and it may not be possible to make contact or resolve a complaint immediately.
iii. Providing an outcome
Once we finish examining the feedback, concern or complaint, we will let the person who has made the complaint know the outcome and any available review options.
6. Review options
If the person who has provided the feedback, raised the concern or made the complaint is dissatisfied with the outcome or the way we handled their complaint, they can contact the regional office to ask for an internal review. A Request for internal review form should be completed and the request should be submitted within 28 days.
There is also an external review option (for example, the Queensland Ombudsman or Queensland Human Rights Commission), which becomes available once the department's complaints process has been exhausted.
7. More information and resources
The following resources contain additional information:
Effective date: 18 August 2021
Review date: 28 January 2022