The Police Assistance Line will give you an event number for your report, make sure you write this down. . The Housing Appeals Committee only deals with appeals about property modifications relating to disability and special needs - Appealable Issues. Our website provides a full list of our local DCJ office address and phone numbers under Contact Us. The Department of Communities and Justice works with children, adults, families and communities to improve lives and help people realise their potential. You will need to give as many details as possible about the problem that needs repairing when you call. For general enquiries, call DCJ Housing Contact Centre on 1800 422 322. All reports are treated seriously and managed in the strictest confidence. Level 24, 580 George Street FACS can only take action against a tenant if there is good evidence their behaviour may be in breach of their residential tenancy agreement. If you want us to handle your complaint confidentially within the Department, please let us know. Call 1300 652 488 to arrange a translator to speak in the language you need. We usually expect you to contact the agency with your complaint, before you make a complaint to us. You should briefly state your concern, and tell us what happened. However, we can look at how the Registrar of Community Housing deals with complaints about community housing providers. promise to improve our policies, procedures or systems. Alternatively, you can contact your local DCJ Housing office launch. We'll also ask you to upload documents to support your complaint. corrupt conduct for example, fraud, dishonesty or misuse of information, serious maladministration for example, unreasonable, unjust or discriminatory conduct. All parties must ensure that information is restricted to those who genuinely need to know. being bullied by other residents. If you are complaining about service delivery provided by an LAHC contractor, you should first phone the maintenance line on 1800 422 322 [press 1] before complaining to FACS to see if the contractor can sort out the problem. Service NSW is committed to providing excellent customer service. What if I need assistance to provide feedback? We can handle complaints about most NSW government agencies, including: Housing; Service NSW; Transport for NSW; Land and Housing Corporation; Revenue NSW; NSW Trustee and Guardian; Fair Trading; Department of Education (including public schools) Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. You dont have to tell us your name when you make a complaint. east. Most DCJ offices are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Keep a copy of emails or letters between you and the agency. A range of private rental assistance products and services available to help clients. The NSW Ombudsman is an independent integrity agency that holds NSW government agencies and certain non-government organisations accountable to the people of NSW. We generally expect you to complain to FACS if you have an issue with a service provided by FACS, AHO, or an LAHC contractor, before complaining to us. Although local offices can tell you what planned maintenance work is scheduled for your home, they will refer you to the Maintenance Line for maintenance requests. While we can handle your complaint confidentially, this may limit our ability to examine or resolve your concerns. If a complaint is serious or complex, it may take longer. The way we collect, store and use any of your personal information is regulated by law. For more information on theCommunity Services Enquiry, Feedback and Complaints Unit or how to make a complaint, please visit the Child protection complaint handling page. The Registrar of Community Housing is responsible for the registration and regulation of NSW community housing providers and may be able to assist you witha complaint about a community housing provider. Direct a complaint about a DCJ funded contract to the relevant DCJ contract manager. Registrar of Community HousingPO Box 2236Burwood North NSW 2134, Information sheet for complainants PDF, 34.67 KB. Urgent help phone numbers Domestic Violence Line 1800 656 463 Link2home Homelessness 1800 152 152 Link2Home Veterans and Ex-Service 1800 326 989 Child Protection Helpline 13 2111 Quick access Apply for housing assistance Apply for Rentstart Bond Loan Update your circumstances on an approved application Expected waiting times eRepair The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) may also be a way for you to seek to resolve any disputes. You can also write to your local DCJ office. If you don't get a reply within the time promised by the agency, contact them again to make sure they received your complaint and are going to respond. Argiri Alisandratos, acting associate secretary of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, says he wants the child protections system to be led by Indigenous organisations: If you live in public housing and you need to request maintenance, or report a problem, you can call the Housing Contact Centre Maintenance Line on1800 422 322. DCJ Housing | Service NSW If this is the case, we will contact you to discuss the issue, before taking further action. Forcomplaints aboutYouth Justice,please see theYouth Justice complaints process. Your rating will help us improve the website. We will treat your complaint confidentially and seek your permission before telling the agency that we have received a complaint from you. Anyone who has concerns about whether a registered community housing provider is meeting its responsibilities under the National Regulatory Code can notify us of their concerns or make a complaint. There are some services we cannot help you with for example, Centrelink, banks and legal services. Can I appeal more than once? When you're ready, make your complaint online. Complainants who remain anonymous are not afforded feedback regarding the outcome of the investigation into the matter raised. . Part 1: What is unreasonable conduct by a complainant? Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services provide free tenancy and legal advice and can advocate on your behalf. Although we wont be able to respond to your concerns, anonymous complaints can provide us with useful information that can lead to service improvements. make payments to accounts. seek further evidence from you or the organisation about what has happened. The following list of links that will help you find the right place to make a complaint. You can ask someonesuch as a family member, friend, or community workerto help you or to submit the complaint form for you. To find out how to get in contact directly with someone from one of the justicedivisions of the Department of Communities andJusticecontact us. Select a department Select an agency. We cannot handle complaints about most private companies or small business, including: Contact Fair Trading or call Law Access NSW on 1300 888 529. Phone: (02) 9286 1000 For more information on FaCS Housing NSW policies, see the Housing NSW website. HUD also provides a Spanish language version of the online housing complaint form. Includes Aboriginal people, families and communities, carers, disability and inclusion, seniors, youth, volunteering and advisory councils. Alternatively, you can ask the NSW Ombudsman to review your complaint. Registrar of Community Housing Locked Bag 4001 Ashfield BC 1800 Our email is registrar@facs.nsw.gov.au Our telephone number is 1800 330 940 How we handle complaints and enquiries How to make a complaint - NSW Ombudsman 1800 422 322 Specialist staff provide support and advice and are able to make decisions on the spot about what needs to be done. Complaints we handle - NSW Ombudsman what you think should happen to resolve your complaint. You need to give them a chance to sort out any problems first. child protection services. In addition, since mediation is voluntary, the business centre about which you are complaining will need to agree to entering into mediation. Depending on the circumstances, outcomes might include: We also consider whether there is a larger problem that may be affecting other people as well as you. To ensure Service NSW handles complaints fairly, efficiently and effectively, we adhere to the Service NSW Complaints Handling Policy. If you need help contacting the agency, see Get help making a complaint. What can I expect to achieve from making a complaint? Part 2: Staff strategies for responding to unreasonable conduct, Part 3: Communication and unreasonable conduct, Part 4: Management responsibilities and supporting staff, Part 5: Restricting and controlling access, Effective complaint management systems workshop, Managing unreasonable conduct by a complainant workshop, Public interest disclosures management training, Supporting young people to make complaints and advocate for systems change workshop, Child Death Review Team / Reviewable Deaths, Submissions to Parliamentary Committees and other bodies, Public Interest Disclosures Annual Reports / PID Steering Committee, Annual reports relating to former functions, Monitor operation of the Mandatory Disease Testing Act, Oversee public interest disclosures (whistleblowing), Email or post this page in social media sites. Appeals. If possible, we will also give you an estimated timeframe for our response. Call: 02 9286 1000 Email: nswombo@ombo.nsw.gov.au Visit: www.ombo.nsw.gov.au Post: Level 24, 580 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Allegation of misconduct Contact the manager of your DCJ contract manager: We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future. 4 Parramatta Square, 12 Darcy St, Parramatta, NSW 2150 Map. Feedback and complaints - Communities and Justice Please call 1800 422 322 and press 2 (24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365 days/year). These resources may help you when dealing with councils: For complaints about the general administrative conduct of councils, councillors and council staff, contact the Office of Local Government. writing to: FACS Client Feedback Service, Locked Bag 7150, Liverpool BC, NSW 1871. However, if the matter is urgent you can call the Ombudsman first to talk about the best thing to do. You may also consider seeking a referral of your complaint to mediation. It could be a government agency, community service provider or a private company. Having the job reference number will make it easier to make a follow up call to the Maintenance Line. This function is given to the Registrar by section 10(1)(e) of the Community Housing Providers (Adoption of National Law) Act 2012 (NSW). Customer complaints | Service NSW Family & Community Services on facebook opens in new window, Family & Community Services on twitter opens in new window, Family & Community Services on youtube opens in new window, Family & Community Services on linkedin opens in new window, IPART review of social and affordable housing rent models, Centralised Gas Hot Water Service Reimbursement Scheme Fact Sheet, Education and training initiatives for social housing clients, Priority housing: child protection caseworker factsheet, Rentstart: information for landlords and agents, Why you should not leave the Rent Deduction Scheme, Keeping your home cool in summer factsheet, Priority Housing for Stolen Generations Survivors, Priority Housing for clients who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse, Fire & Rescue NSW: fire safety in high rise buildings, Fire & Rescue NSW: home fire safety checklist, Fire & Rescue NSW: home fire escape plan checklist, Write to us: Locked Bag 4001, Ashfield BC 1800, Instructions about how to give us your feedback. They're also able to make decisions on the spot about what needs to be done. If our response to your complaint is likely to be significantly delayed, we will let you know about the delay. Family & Community Services on facebook opens in new window, Family & Community Services on twitter opens in new window, Family & Community Services on youtube opens in new window, Family & Community Services on linkedin opens in new window, Changes to your tenancy: tenant factsheet, Privacy and personal information notification. However Registry staff cannot give you legal advice or recommend what action you should take. PDF Community housing related complaints (general) Fact sheet An appeal can be made if you feel we have not followed . If you are in Australia please call: 02 8074 8627. For a step-by-step guide to making a complaint, seeHow to make a complaint. This is dealt with under Residential Tenancies Legislation by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) formerly known as CTTT. File a Complaint - Main Page | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and We also support people with disability and Aboriginal peoples, and have information in easy English and other languages. Email:AssistedBoardingHouses@facs.nsw.gov.au. DCJ Housing will investigate complaints against tenants where there is an alleged breach of the tenancy agreement. Phone: (02) 8836 0000 [email protected] First Floor - Suite 4, 47-49 Wingewarra Street, Dubbo NSW 2830 Complaints. You can call us for advice about whether your issue is something we can help with. We cannot handle complaints about phone and internet companies for example, Telstra, Vodafone and Optus. If we can handle your complaint, continue to Step 3. For complaints about private health insurance, contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman. For a step-by-step guide to making a complaint, seeHow to make a complaint. Information for multicultural families and communities, Deliver services to children and families, Toggle sub navigation menu for Family & Community Services, Update your circumstances on an approved application. For complaints about alleged corrupt conduct of councillors or council staff, contact the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). If you need help with your complaint, see Get help making a complaint. Community Housing Innovation Fund (CHIF) Find funding programs to help deliver social and affordable housing across NSW. Contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman. The MyHousing mobile app, from the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), helps you access your housing information using a smartphone. The Registrar of Community Housing can be contacted on: Locked Bag 4001, Ashfield BC 1800 Free call: 1800 330 940 Facsimile: 02 8741 2522 Email: registrar@facs.nsw.gov.au Web: www.rch.nsw.gov.au. Contact us | Aboriginal Housing Office If you work for the government (including local government), you can report serious wrongdoing in your workplace. You can also ask them to give reasons for the delay. Specialist staff are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide support and advice. E-mail: customersupport@jaggaer.com. If FACS or the AHO has not complied with its obligations to carry out maintenance, NCAT can order it to do so. Specialist staff are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide support and advice. We acknowledge the ongoing connection Aboriginal people have to this land and recognise Aboriginal people as the original custodians of this land. Antisocial behaviour in public housing - Family & Community Services Your rating will help us improve the website. You can find descriptions of your fair housing rights in several languages other than English here. Find out how to make a complaint about custodial services. If you are deaf, or have a hearing impairment or speech impairment, contact us through theNational Relay Service. It takes about 15 minutes. We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future. For more information, you canvisit the Justice Legal website or theInformation and Privacy Commission website. You may need to show this to us if your complaint is not resolved. We will give you reasons for our decisions. We'll contact you within 2 weeks to give you an update on your complaint. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities. We generally do not take action on complaints about decisions that are appealable because we believe the appeal process and HAC offer an alternative and satisfactory means of redress. Housing Offices (DCJ Housing) | Service NSW Submitting a complaint You can submit a complaint or provide feedback by using one of the following methods: Via the online feedback form Email info@service.nsw.gov.au Phone 13 77 88 In person at any Service NSW Service Centre Write to: Customer Resolution Coordinator GPO Box 7057 Sydney NSW 2001 Complaints about our services We can also handle complaints about water services provided by local councils. Tenants will be referred to Community Justice Centres for assistance when required. For information please see the During a Tenancy Policy. refuges for women, children, men and families. For your convenience, telephones with a direct link to the Maintenance Line are available in the lobby of all local offices to use during business hours. We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future. We also cannot handle complaints about private health services and providers. Neighbours | Family & Community Services An important function of the Registrar of Community Housing is to investigate complaints and other matters in respect of community housing providers that are registered under the National Regulatory System for Community Housing (NRSCH) or the NSW Local Scheme. The Registrars Guidelines for Managing Unreasonable Complainant Conduct may be enacted in these circumstances. The term social housing refers to accommodation services provided by government agencies, non-government community housing providers and government subsidised private rental. However, we may be able to help you if an LAHC contractor maintains the property you are renting or the provider is a Specialist Homelessness Service (SHS). If the issue is between residents, owners, or the owner corporation, there are four general steps to resolving it: Talk about it Speak to the owners corporation Use Fair Trading's mediation service Go to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Aboriginal initiatives under OCHRE such as: homelessness services for young people and adults. We can handle complaints about homelessness services run or funded by the government, such as: People with a disability receiving services from NSW government agencies can complain to us about those agencies. Its website should have information about complaints or you can ask its staff about how to make a complaint. You can complain to us about community services for children and young people, such as: out-of-home care, including foster care, kinship care and intensive therapeutic care (ITC) leaving care and aftercare. Feedback and complaints about public housing | NT.GOV.AU The Ombudsman does not have power to make binding and enforceable decisions. A contractor will contact you to make an appointment for an inspection and/or repair to take place. In NSW, government-owned and managed social housing is provided by the Department of Family and Community Services (FACS), including the Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO). If the complaints are substantiated, tenants will be given the opportunity to change nuisance and annoying behaviour. You will be contacted by either the Customer Resolution Coordinator, the manager responsible for the service you complain about, or the managers delegate. You can check if a provider is registered by searching the NRSCH National Provider Register or the NSW Local Scheme Provider Register. We will endeavour to respond to queries at the point of escalation and preferably within 72 hours. We can make inquiries with an agency if we consider there may be maladministration. State of New South Wales, February 2018This publication is released under a Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0. contact information for other useful organisations. You will be asked to provide details of the damage and when it happened. completing an online feedback form at www.housing.nsw.gov.au. NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), child protection and family support services, out-of-home care, including foster care, kinship care and intensive therapeutic care (ITC), Aboriginal Land Councils local Aboriginal land councils and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council. provide you with further explanation of a decision that has been made. DCJ Housing wants to assist tenants to live in peace and harmony with their neighbours. You can also complain to us directly if you dont feel safe making a complaint to the agency. How will you protect the privacy or confidentiality of my complaint? Common complaints include: feeling unsafe. To make acomplaint or provide feedback on any other matter relating to DCJ, please submit your feedback using the Your Feedback widget on this page. We assess each complaint we receive and decide whether to take action on a case by case basis. Any complaint we receive regarding another government agency will either be forwarded to that agency for their action and response or resolved directly by Service NSW. Child Protection Helpline - 13 21 11 Disaster Welfare Assistance Line - 1800 018 444 Link2Home Homelessness - 1800 152 152 Domestic Violence Line - 1800 656 463 Services and support General enquiries Generally, as a first step you should contact the agency you want to complain about. Alternatively, you can contact your localCommunity Services Centreto make a complaint. Registry staff in courts and tribunals can explain appeal procedures. In NSW, government-owned and managed social housing is provided by the Department of Family and These types of complaints are called public interest disclosures and include: You can report serious wrongdoing to the person responsible for dealing with public interest disclosures in your agency. Sydney NSW 2001. What matters are out of the Registrar's scope? if you would like your complaint to be handled confidentially. Having trouble with unlawful development activity? The Judicial Commission of NSW receives complaints about judicial officers. If you'd like to apply for social housing in NSW, or are an existing social housing resident with a question or concern, please visit the Department of Communities and Justice Tenancy Hub. However please note that not all complaints will be suitable for mediation. It is a criminal offence for anyone to take any action against you for making a complaint to us. 2-24 Rawson Place Sydney NSW 2000 nswbuy@treasury.nsw.gov.au 1800 679 289 (International +61 2 . We acknowledge the ongoing connection Aboriginal people have to this land and recognise Aboriginal people as the original custodians of this land. Anonymous complaints are only investigated in special circumstances. You can find the Review of Decisions form and the Appeals and reviewing decisions fact sheet on the website: www.housing.nsw.gov.au. You can submit a complaint or provide feedback by using one of the following methods: Service NSW is committed to providing excellent customer service and every attempt is made to deal with complaints on the spot, however, if you would like to submit a complaint we would like to assure you that we will act in an open and honest manner, and within clear timeframes. Housing and homelessness - Communities and Justice Make a contracting complaint, allegation of misconduct, compliment or You can also complain to the AHO directly by contacting one of their offices or by visiting their . Housing Appeals Committee - Frequently Asked Questions Registrar of Community Housing - Enquiries & Complaints If you are concerned that this could happen, please let us know. But, there are complaints we cannot help you with: for example, Centrelink (Services Australia), Australian Tax Office (ATO), electricity, gas, water and phone companies, and other private businesses. GPO Box 7057 Only in the most serious cases will FACS consider applying to the NCAT to evict a tenant. An online form is available where the provider is registered under the NRSCH. Phone: 1800 422 322 (Housing Contact Centre) 1800 152 152 (Link2home Homelessness) TTY Phone: 133 677 More information Department of Communities and Justice - Housing ( DCJ Housing) provides a range of housing solutions for both the private rental market and Public Housing, Community Housing and Aboriginal Housing. If you're not happy with our decision or the way we handled your complaint, seeComplaints about the NSW Ombudsman. This policy applies to all Service NSW employees receiving or managing complaints from the public made to or about us, regarding our services, employees and complaint handling. Feedback and complaints | Housing.vic.gov.au You can ask someone such as a family member, friend, or community worker to help you or to submit the complaint form for you. Also, the Registrar does not handle appeals from decisions by registered community housing providers relating to an individuals eligibility, priority or entitlement to housing. We cannot handle complaints about the NSW Police Force or a member of the NSW Police Force. Contact us Includes general enquiries, crisis numbers, media, helplines and feedback. For all other service providers, including Energy Australia, AGL and Origin, contact the Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW. Sometimes we suggest what we think should happen to resolve your complaint. We cannot handle complaints about legal services or courts. Tenants have a right to the peaceful enjoyment of their home and an obligation to abide by the conditions of their tenancy agreement. For example, letters or emails between you and the agency, photos or other documents. A community housing organisation, housing association or housing provider: you need to contact them directly. Visit their website or call them to find out how to complain to them. Alternatively, you can contact your localDCJ Housing office.