Requests for Help Suspended

ATTENTION  ALL POTENTIAL CLIENTS

 

We regret to advise you that due to the upcoming Christmas holidays and the current workload of our clients, we are unable to accept any more requests for help from new clients.

We expect to be able to accept new clients on or around 30^th January 2021.

Our advice is that you do the following:

1. If your children have been removed and have not been placed with familiar people identify who these people might be and if they are wanting to take on this role they need to contact the office in writing to be considered as a kinship/foster carer. 
2. Put everything in writing including conversation follow up with an email confirming what was discussed.
3. Contact legal aid for advice on rights and responsibilities. You can find legal advice from the links on this page: https://thereily.foundation/pages/find-legal-help
4. Ensure that you have an advocate or a trusted person taking notes at every meeting
5. If you are unhappy with the progress of the dealings with the department familiarise with the complaints resolution.

• ACT. https://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/ocyfs/children/child-and-youth-protection-services/compliments-and-complaints
• NSW. https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/about/contact/complaints
• NT. https://occ.nt.gov.au/home/make-a-complaint
• QLD. https://www.csyw.qld.gov.au/contact-us/compliments-complaints
• SA. https://www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/department/contact-the-department/making-a-complaint
• TAS. https://www.communities.tas.gov.au/children/child_protection_services/complaints_procedures
• VIC. https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/making-complaint
• WA. https://dcp.wa.gov.au/ComplaintsAndCompliments/Pages/ComplaintsManagementUnit.aspx
• If Internal dispute resolution does not work then identify external dispute resolution including government bodies that can help. This site provides that sort of service: Conflict Resolution Service. https://crs.org.au/

This guide from the National Office for Child Safety may help you in a dispute resolution: https://childsafety.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-09/nocs-complaint-handling-guide.pdf

You can also contact the Ombudsman in your state:

• https://forms.business.gov.au/smartforms/servlet/SmartForm.html?formCode=act-complaint-form
• https://www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/
• https://www.ombudsman.nt.gov.au/
• https://www.ombudsman.qld.gov.au/
• https://www.ombudsman.sa.gov.au/complaints/make-a-complaint/
• https://www.ombudsman.tas.gov.au/
• https://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/
• https://www.ombudsman.wa.gov.au/

Where possible, we will continue to work with existing clients.

We regret having to take these steps and look forward to providing a full service in the new year.