A survey of Government organisations has highlighted a need for Western Australia’s Government Agencies to improve their complaints systems for children and young people.
Conducted by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, the survey of 34 Agencies discovered that only 16 per cent of those engaged in child-related work managed to exceed more than half the performance indicators their child-friendly complaints demanded of them.
The Commissioner’s Monitoring of complaints systems 2021, outlines the findings from the survey on how complaints from children and young people are being managed.
Ms McGowan-Jones said Agencies were required to manage child-friendly complaint systems as part of the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
“It is vital that all children and young people know they can easily raise a concern and feel confident they will be heard when they do,” Commissioner McGowan-Jones said.
“Children and young people make up almost a quarter of the population in Western Australia and are regular users of many Government services including education, health, transport or recreation,” she said.
The Commissioner said the survey found that 1,628 complaints from, or on behalf of, children and young people were received in 2019-2020.
She said the complaints generally related to education, accommodation, health and recreation, and 37 per cent could be identified as being directly from children and young people.
“Only 18 per cent of Agencies who funded non-Government organisations to provide services to children and young people said they had a requirement for these organisations to have child-friendly complaints systems,” she said.
Ms McGowan-Jones said she had provided individualised feedback to Agencies.
“I am committed to continuing to support them to address areas of concern to ensure that the issues raised by children and young people are heard and acted on,” she said.
“Of particular importance is the need for all Agencies to ensure that any non-Government organisation they contract must also have a child-friendly complaints system in place.”
The Commissioner’s 43-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
