Enquiries, compliments and complaints

You can make a complaint to CECA about:

• the approved provider or licensee of the service
• any person who controls or manages the service
• a staff member at the service.

By law, some types of complaints must be reported to CECA. The service usually reports these complaints. They include:

• serious incidents that have happened or are currently happening at the service. For example, if a child is injured and taken to hospital or if a child left the service without anyone noticing.
• incidents that break the national law.

To raise a complaint, use CECA's complaints form. Include as much detail as you can, such as:

• dates (or date ranges) of any incidents
• names or job titles of anyone who was there when the incident happened
• any conversations you've had about the incident with people who work at or represent the service.

When you make a complaint, CECA will:

• let you know they have received your complaint
• contact you if they need more information
• aim to resolve your complaint quickly
• provide a clear and informative written response
• help you contact the right person if you are not satisfied with the outcome.

For more information, email complaintsCECA@act.gov.au.

First talk to the teacher, principal or another school leader. If you’re not sure who to talk to, ask at the school front office.

Depending on the type of complaint, a school staff member may:

• try to fix the matter or improve the situation (this may include reviewing a policy or procedure)
• apologise or acknowledge that the situation could have been handled better or differently
• explain what has happened and why
• discuss the issue in general terms if needed to comply with privacy laws.

If the school is unable to meet your expectations, they will provide clear reasons for their actions and decisions.

If your complaint is not resolved after talking to the school, you can make a complaint using the Education Directorate contact form.

The form asks for your personal details, but you can make a complaint without providing them. If you do not provide details, we won't be able to contact you to help resolve the complaint.

After we receive your complaint, we refer it to the relevant business area to help you resolve it.

You can expect that we will:

• take all complaints seriously
• treat you with respect and listen to understand your needs
• reply in a timely manner
• encourage and support you to resolve the complaint early with the person involved
• share your feedback, with your permission, with relevant areas of the Directorate to improve services
• disclose any conflicts of interest that might affect or appear to affect a staff member’s handling of their complaint.

You can find out more in our complaints management policy.

We ask that you:

• treat us with respect, in all communications
• provide us with honest, constructive feedback on our service
• provide information that is timely, accurate and complete
• tell us if you need help to understand or access our service.

Verbal or physical abuse is never okay and will not be accepted at our schools. This includes any communication by email, phone or online.

If your concern is about non-compliance with the Education Act 2004 or the Non-government Schools Registration Standards, email the details of your concern to ngs.concerns@act.gov.au.

In your email, include your name and address, the nature of the concern and the relevant provision in the Act (if you know it).

If your concern is not about a non-compliance issue, raise your concern directly with the school.

By law, if a concern is raised with the Registrar, they must refer the matter to the relevant school to handle it under their procedures.

This applies unless the:

• concern has already been considered by the school
• nature or circumstances of the matter are so serious or urgent that the matter should be considered by the Registrar or another entity such as:
  • the Commissioner of Fair Trading
  • the Human Rights Commission
  • WorkSafe ACT
  • the Chief Police Officer of the ACT.

The Registrar need not consider a concern if satisfied that the concern:

• is frivolous, vexatious or was not made honestly
• lacks substance
• cannot be made under the Act
• would be better dealt with by another entity
• is otherwise not appropriate for the Registrar to consider.