CHCCS400B - Outline A Service's Complaints Policy

[jey]

Your Assignment Module Number and Heading: CHCCS400B Knowledge Test
Your Assignment Type: Standard Question
Currently Working in Childcare? No
Your knowledge: Beginner

Your Question?
1. Outline the steps that should occur when a parent makes a complaint.


1. Read the scenario, and using the complaints policy as a guideline describe how the complaint would be addressed.
Fed-up
Mr Brown arrives early to collect his daughter, Tara (4.6 yrs). The children are playing outside. Tara has been helping a carer to weed and water the garden and her clothes are wet and muddy.
When Mr Brown sees Tara he becomes quite angry. The following exchange takes place:
‘Tara, get inside and change your clothes. How can I take you shopping looking like that?’
Mr Brown then turns to the carer, ‘I don’t pay a fortune every day for you to play in the mud with my daughter. This is supposed to be and educational program, where’s the education? I’m sick of coming here and seeing Tara involved in stupid games.’
Mr Brown then storms off and can be heard yelling at Tara to hurry up.
The following day Mr Brown hands the director a letter of complaint. His concerns include:
• allowing Tara to get dirty
• not providing educational activities
• too much senseless play and not enough preparation for school.

What is your answer so far or What have you done so far as an attempt to solve this question?
1.
1.Take down pertinent information. Child Care Resouces (CCR) does not act as a mediator nor is it a regulatory agency but does track complaints received.
2. Advise the caller to make a first hand complaint to the appropriate person or agency.
3. Notify the appropriate agency by sending a copy of the complaint and pertinent information. These include:
• Child Care Division and/or Department of Human Services (DHS) Child Care Unit for violations of rules and regulations
• DHS Child Welfare and or law enforcement for suspected child abuse or neglect
4. Write a letter, if appropriate, and/or phone the provider indicating the nature of the complaint and offer technical assistance.
5. Suspend a provider from the referral database and the Oregon Child Care Resource and Referral Network online searchable database i.e. the website

Instructor comment: This is a policy that you have in place if a parent makes a complaints about the service. Ideally, it is dealt with at the centre level as soon as possible. As an Assistant you would refer the parent to the Group Leader or Director who would manage the complaint.

2.• Strategies to deal with the issues quickly and professionally.
• Encouragement to raise concerns directly with the relevant party wherever possible. To avoid over complicating the process, it is always preferable to resolve the issue as close to the source as possible.
• A clear outline of the steps that will be followed at each stage of the complaint management process.
• Procedures for maintaining confidentiality.
• Processes for documenting discussions between the complainant and the scheme.
• Information about how a complainant can contact and raise their concerns with scheme management if they need to.
• Procedures for keeping the complainant informed of the progress of the complaint.
• Methods for recording and evaluating the progress of the complaint. A process for evaluating the outcomes of the complaint and for providing recommendations for future policy or practice at the scheme.
• Information about the right of carer's and coordination unit staff to seek assistance from a support person when responding to a complaint about them, for example, an interpreter.
• Details of external agencies for a complainant to contact if they feel the scheme has not resolved their concerns.
• Information about what is appropriate and acceptable conduct when concerns are being raised and responded to. A person who is making a complaint may be very angry about the issue, or the recipient of the complaint may be upset by the concerns being raised. However, it is important that all stakeholders are aware that any type of unfair treatment, bias, aggressive behaviour or harassment is unacceptable.

Instructor comment: Can you refer to the above scenario more please.
For example would the Director arrange a meeting with the parent?
What would the Director refer to for this specific complaint? How would you compromise? Would this be documented? Would this be followed up?

Description and Message:
HI, I GOT SOME PROBLEMS I SUBMITT MY ASSESSMENT AND I GET BACK AND I FAILED

BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG ANYBODY CNA HELP ME??

[Lorina]

If you don’t have access to a centre’s policy and procedure manual then this can be a little difficult for you to answer.

When a parent makes a complaint at the centre, the centre will have a specific procedure you will need to follow in order to deal with the issue efficiently and effectively.

Here is a complaint procedure which may be used at a centre.

Procedure:

There is a formal procedure for the settling of concerns that may arise for families
in a children’s service. It is expected, however, that most problems will be readily
resolved by discussion with the Director/Coordinator of the particular service.

The procedure for families to find resolution of any concern is as follows:

In the first instance all concerns should be addressed to the centre Director or
Coordinator, who will also inform the Manager of Children’s Services1. The
service Director/Coordinator will attempt to resolve the issue with the
parent/carer.

If a parent/carer feels that their concerns have not been reasonably addressed or
that an unsatisfactory situation persists, they will be referred to the Manager of
Children’s Services.

If the matter is still not resolved to the parent’s satisfaction they will be referred to
the General Manager, as licensee of the service, or his delegate the Director of
Corporate Services.

An accurate record will be kept of all interviews conducted for complaints. A copy
of the record will be given to the parent. All parties are required to respect the
confidentiality of the issues raised and maintain a respectful relationship.

Any complaint that is made in writing must also receive a written response. This
response must be drafted by the Centre Director in consultation with the Manager
Children’s Services.

Parents/carer’s from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have the
right to discuss their complaint with the use of the Telephone Interpreter Service
(TIS); in the presence of an interpreter; or with the use of Council’s language aides
where necessary.

All complaints concerning licensing and child protection matters will be
investigated in accordance with the relevant legislation. Parents/carers can also
contact the Children’s Services Advisor at the local Department of Community
Services (DoCS) office for licensing issues and the DoCS Help line for child
protection issues.

For the second part of the question, maybe you can suggest an information night for all parents to explain what is involved on the curriculum plan, the importance of play based learning, how a child learns through play etc. This can be used as a positive approach in getting parents to understand what their child does at the centre throughout the day and how you incorporate their learning based on what they understand.

Hope This Helps,

,
L.A

[jey]

THANKS L.A

YOUR ALWAYS GIVE ME GOOD ANSWER. IT'S ALL HELPFUL