Understanding systemic issues and complaints

A Board of Inquiry has limited ability to deal with complaints about individuals as it will focus on identifying systemic issues.

• An individual complaint is about a person.
• A systemic issue is about the system itself.

Individual complaints

A complaint about an individual is usually about a specific, isolated incident involving one or a few people. The issue is a result of a particular person's actions, behaviour or decision.

For example, a complaint that a specific staff member acted inappropriately or that a supervisor made a poor decision in a single case.

Addressing an individual complaint might involve disciplinary action or a change in a single case.

Complaints about ACT Corrective Services or the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC)

ACT Corrective Services aims to resolve complaints quickly, courteously and fairly. If you want to make a complaint about what you have seen, heard or experienced at the AMC, learn how you can make a complaint to ACT Corrective Services and the process afterwards.

If you are not satisfied with the response from ACT Corrective Services, you can contact one of the ACT oversight bodies which act independently of government and may inspect or review the operations of ACT Corrective Services.

Systemic issues

Systemic issues are problems with an organisation's policies, procedures, or culture, not just with one person's actions. They are patterns of issues that affect many people, showing a flaw in the overall system itself.

For example, a systemic issue could be a policy that is unfair to a particular group, a widespread lack of staff training, or an organisational culture that doesn't hold employees accountable.

Addressing a systemic issue requires changing the rules, policies, or culture of the entire organisation.