At the NIISQ Agency, we want to provide you with the best service possible. Your feedback, good and bad, is important and lets us know the things we are doing well and where we need to improve.

If we have done something well, we’d love to hear from you. Similarly, if we have not met your expectations, we want to hear what has happened so we can ensure we improve in the future.

Your privacy

Your details are confidential and will only be given to those at the NIISQ Agency directly involved in managing your feedback or complaint. The feedback and complaints we receive will be recorded to improve the quality of our service.

If you would prefer that we did not record your feedback or complaint, or you wish to remain anonymous, please let us know and it will not be included in our records. For more information about your privacy, please read the privacy section.

Feedback and compliments

If you are happy with something we have done or want to provide some general feedback, you can let us know by:

• talking to your NIISQ Agency contact
• speak to someone else at NIISQ Agency by telephone 1300 607 566
• completing the online form
• emailing us at enquiries@niis.qld.gov.au
• writing to us at GPO Box 1391 Brisbane Qld 4001

We will use this information to help us keep doing the things that work well or improve the way we work.

Complaints – frequently asked questions

• Who can make a complaint?

  Any person, including a bystander, can make a complaint. If you do not want to make the complaint, or are unable to make the complaint yourself, you can ask someone to act on your behalf.

  We may need your consent for that person to talk to us on your behalf. A complainant (the person to whom the complaint is regarding) must have sufficient interest in the matter.

• What can I complain to the NIISQ Agency about?

  You can make a complaint about anything to do with our service or Scheme.

  While there are no timeframes on complaints, our ability to resolve matters that occurred over 12 months ago can be limited as it can be hard to effectively and fairly investigate for all parties.

• How do I make a complaint?

  We request that your complaints to the NIISQ Agency be made in writing. Written complaints will be treated confidentially and will only go to those who need to see them and are able to resolve them.

  You can let us know your complaint by:

  • completing the online form
  • emailing us at complaints@niis.qld.gov.au
  • writing to us at GPO Box 1391 Brisbane Qld 4001

  You can also call us on 1300 607 566 to talk about your complaint and how to lodge it.

• What help can I get to make a complaint?

  You can arrange to have a family member, friend or representative, or advocate to talk or write to us on your behalf.

  You can also contact the NIISQ Agency complaints officer on 1300 607 566 who can record your complaint and lodge it on your behalf.

  You can give anonymous feedback; however, we will be unable to tell you the outcome or any action we have taken.

• How do I make a complaint about a NIISQ-funded service provider?

  If you wish to make a complaint about a service provider the NIISQ Agency has funded, please contact the service provider directly and raise your complaint via their complaints management process.

  We encourage you to raise your complaint directly with the service provider in the first instance. Dealing directly with the service provider can often achieve a fast and effective outcome. You can arrange for an advocate to support you if you don’t feel comfortable raising a concern on your own.

  Complaints give service providers the opportunity to improve the quality of the services they provide. All service providers must have a complaints management process in place and must let participants know how to access it.  If there is a Support Planner allocated to your complaint, please keep them up to date on the progress of your complaint if this is appropriate.

• What should I do if I am not satisfied with the outcome process of a complaint made to a service provider?

  The service provider will be able to provide you with the details about their internal complaints and review process.

  If you are not satisfied with the outcome or if the service provider is unable to resolve the complaint, you can raise your complaint via the NIISQ Agency complaints process (contact details above).

• What should I consider before making a complaint?

  The following factors allow us to achieve the best possible results when resolving complaints:

  • Tell us about the issue as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the less clear the facts become and the harder it can be to find a solution.
  • Complaints should be in writing where possible, however you can still make a verbal complaint to the NIISQ Agency or an appropriate staff member such as a Support Planner.
  • If you do not wish to talk about your concerns with a staff member or they have not been able to address your concerns, you can make a complaint via email or from the NIISQ Agency website.
  • Make your complaint clear and set out the order in which things happened, preferably with dates, and descriptions of the incident/s, phone calls, letters or meetings and let us know the action you would like us to take.

• What is the difference between a complaint and disagreeing with a decision about treatment, care or support?

  A complaint can be made by anyone, about any aspect of the NIISQ Agency, the level of service provided to you, or the services we pay for.

  A request for a review of a decision is managed in a different way to a complaint.

  When you disagree with a decision we have made about your treatment, care or support services, or your eligibility for the NIISQ, you can request a review of a decision.

  You can read more about how we review a treatment, care and support decision here.

  You can read more about how we assess eligibility for NIISQ here.

• Can I make an anonymous complaint?

  Yes, you do not need to provide your details, however this can make resolving your complaint more difficult.

  We also may not be able to let you know the outcome or if we have decided not to investigate the complaint.

• What happens after I lodge a complaint with the NIISQ Agency?

  All complaints received by the NIISQ Agency are carefully and promptly considered.

  When a complaint is lodged, we:

  • Decide whether we can or should investigate the complaint
  • Investigate the matters referred to in the complaint
  • Seek an appropriate and fair resolution where we investigate a complaint
  • Deal with complaints in an impartial and effective way

  We may need to request additional information from you to assist us with your complaint.

  If we decide not to investigate your complaint, we will provide you with an explanation as to the reasons why, and we may suggest alternative avenues for resolving the issue/s.

  We may also be able to direct you to the best placed Agency to resolve your complaint (for example the Queensland Ombudsman; the Human Rights Commission) if we are unable to investigate your complaint.

• How long will it take to resolve my complaint?

  We aim to resolve your complaint within 20 business days.

  If we need time to look into an issue you have raised, we will let you know our plan and keep you updated.

• What can I do if I am not satisfied with the NIISQ Agency’s resolution (outcome) of my complaint?

  Complaints and compliments are important ways of gaining feedback about our service.

  We are committed to improving our service and your views are welcome. You can seek an internal review of the decision which will be carried out by a NIISQ Agency officer independent of the handling of your complaint. Upon completion of an internal review, you also have the right to seek an external review of the decision made by the NIISQ Agency via the Queensland Ombudsman.

  We can provide you further information about this once a decision relating to your complaint has been made.

We respect, protect and promote human rights

The NIISQ Agency respects, protects and promotes the human rights of all people. We consider human rights in the way we deliver services and make decisions. If you feel NIISQ Agency has acted in a way that limits or breaches human rights, you can make a complaint to NIISQ by:

• completing the online form
• emailing us at complaints@niis.qld.gov.au
• writing to us at GPO Box 1391 Brisbane Qld 4001.

Any complaints received about human rights will be handled in accordance with the Human Rights Act 2019.

If you are not happy with NIISQ Agency’s response to your human rights complaint you can raise the complaint with the Queensland Human Rights Commission. The Queensland Human Rights Commission can investigate and resolve complaints about human rights.

For information about the Human Rights Act 2019 and the Queensland Human Rights Commission visit qhrc.qld.gov.au

Accessibility and interpreter assistance

If you prefer to talk to us in your own language, phone us on 1300 607 566 and we will arrange an interpreter to effectively communicate with you.

For the deaf and hearing-impaired, you can contact us through the National Relay Service:

• TTY users phone 133 677 (no additional call charges apply)
• Speak and listen (speech-to-speech relay) users phone 1300 555 727
• Internet relay users connect to the National Relay Service