Purpose

This policy has been developed to manage gathering and responding to Feedback about Binar by all stakeholders.

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Scope

The policies and procedures in this document apply to Board members, staff, volunteers and contractors under the direction of Binar, program participants and their parents, mentors, partners, affiliates, visitors and any other stakeholder, about any aspect of Binar and its operations (including the feedback process itself).

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The feedback process includes managing and responding to Compliments, Complaints and Suggestions (see Definitions below).

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Policy Statement

Binar will:

• Actively encourage and support children, young people, parents, volunteers, mentors, staff, contractors, visitors and any other stakeholder to provide Feedback.

• Implement Feedback procedures that are accessible and easy to understand by all stakeholders.

• Listen and respond to Feedback from all stakeholders, including Feedback provided anonymously.

• Encourage stakeholders to find a support person or advocate to assist or represent them when offering Feedback, if this is their preference.

• Provide stakeholders with accessible information, support and a safe environment in which to raise a Complaint and make Suggestions.

• Treat any person who provides a Complaint or Suggestion with respect.

• Investigate all Complaints and Suggestions in a timely, effective and sensitive manner, in line with our Privacy Policy and Confidentiality Policy.

• Ensure there are no negative consequences for making a Complaint or Suggestion.

• Keep a record of all Feedback received and our responses.

• Regularly review Feedback to analyse trends and issues.

• Use Feedback to inform strategy, continuous improvement, performance targets and risk management.

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Definitions

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Complaint means any written or verbal statement expressing dissatisfaction, a problem or concern in relation to Binar and its operations.

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Compliment means any written or verbal statement expressing satisfaction or commendation in relation to Binar and its operations.

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Confidentiality means activities by the people directly involved in gathering, recording and managing Feedback that protect unauthorised access to, or use of Feedback.

 

Conflict of Interest means a situation in which a person is in a position to derive, or may be perceived to derive, personal gain or benefit from actions or decisions made in their official capacity.

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Employee means any person who is employed under a formal written contract (including on a casual, probationary or permanent basis) by Binar Incorporated.

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Feedback means opinions or comments given by a stakeholder, either directly or indirectly, in relation to the charity or its operations, which may be in the form of a Compliment, Suggestion or Complaint.

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Mentor means a person who gives help and advice to one or more children or young people engaged in a Binar program.

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Privacy means activities that protect people from unfair or unauthorised access to, or use of sensitive or private information in relation to gathering, recording and managing Feedback.

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Serious Complaint means a Complaint that involves any of the following:

• A threat to a person’s health or life.

• A threat to Binar’s reputation or financial viability.

• A threat of external investigation and/or litigation.

• An allegation of serious misconduct or criminal conduct.

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Suggestion means any written or verbal statement expressing how the charity could improve its function, which may form part of a Compliment or Complaint, but may also be offered as standalone feedback.

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Volunteer means a person who provides their time and expertise to support Binar as an organisation or the delivery of a Binar program.

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Roles and Responsibilities

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Board Members

• Review and approval of this policy.

• Establishing a system for gathering and responding to Feedback.

• Monitor effectiveness of this policy.

• Promote a governance culture that values Feedback.

• Provide advice on handling Serious Complaints.

• Handle complaints related to the CEO or another Board Member.

• Use Feedback to inform strategy and risk management.

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Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

• Implement this policy across the organisation.

• Encourage all Binar stakeholders to provide Feedback.

• Promote an organisational culture that values Feedback.

• Investigate and respond to Complaints and Suggestions, seeking advice from the Board where appropriate.

• Manage Confidentiality and Privacy in relation to Feedback.

• Use Feedback to inform improvements, targets, strategy and risk management.

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Business Manager

• Implement this policy at a charity administration level.

• Encourage administration Employees and Volunteers to provide Feedback.

• Facilitate the Feedback process at an administration level.

• Coordinate Employee, Mentor and Volunteer surveys on behalf of the CEO.

• Participate or lead investigations into Complaints or Suggestions when asked to do so.

• Monitor and analyse Feedback across the organisation.

• Analyse and report Feedback trends to the CEO.

• Use Feedback to analyse trends and inform business improvements, performance targets and risk management.

 

Program Coordinator

• Implement this policy at an operational level.

• Encourage children, young people, parents, Mentors and Volunteers to provide Feedback.

• Facilitate the Feedback process at a program level.

• Coordinate participant and parent surveys.

• Assist participants and parents to provide Feedback, where asked to do so.

• Use Feedback to inform program improvements and risk management.

 

Employees

• Understand and comply with this policy.

• Gather and provide Feedback in line with the procedures below.

• Assist other people to provide Feedback when asked to do so.

• Participate in surveys when asked to do so.

• Escalate Feedback to their line manager.

• Participate in investigations into Complaints or Suggestions when asked to do so.

• Maintain Confidentiality and Privacy in relation to Feedback.

 

Mentors and Volunteers

• Understand and comply with this policy.

• Provide Feedback in line with the procedures below.

• Assist other people to provide Feedback when asked to do so.

• Participate in surveys when asked to do so.

• Maintain Confidentiality and Privacy in relation to Feedback.

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PROCEDURES​

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Promoting Rights

Binar will promote and safeguard the rights of all stakeholders to provide Feedback by informing them of:

• Their right to provide Feedback;

• No adverse consequences to providing Feedback;

• Protection of their Privacy and Confidentiality;

• Processes in place and support available to provide Feedback.

 

Gathering Feedback

Feedback may be provided at any time to a Program Coordinator, the CEO, or the Business Manager in person, over the telephone, or in written form (such as via a form, survey, email, letter, or social media comment, etc.).

 

Feedback Form

The Binar Feedback Form enables any stakeholder to provide written details of a Compliment, Complaint or Suggestion. Stakeholders should be encouraged to use the form to provide written Feedback and be offered assistance to do so by an Employee, Mentor, support person or advocate.

 

Surveys

The Business Manager and CEO will coordinate periodic, confidential Employee, Mentor and Volunteer surveys, but will encourage these stakeholder to provide Feedback at other times as well. These stakeholders have the right to provide Feedback via, or with the support of a Binar representative.

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Program Coordinators will coordinate periodic, confidential participant and parents surveys, but will encourage any of these stakeholders to provide Feedback at other times as well. Children have the right to provide Feedback via, or with the support of their parent, or a Binar representative.

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Social Media

The Business Manager will monitor Binar’s website and social media channels for comments that include Feedback and direct these to the CEO.

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Fundraising and Events

The Business Manager will promote and gather Feedback during fundraising activities and events.

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Recording Feedback

If Feedback is received verbally in person or over the telephone, the receiving Binar representative must:

• Listen carefully to the Feedback and clarify any necessary details;

• Document the Feedback in written form using the Binar Feedback Form;

• Email the Feedback Form to admin@binar.org.au;

• Determine the type of Feedback (Compliment, Complaint and/or Suggestion); and

• Follow the appropriate procedures below.

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If Feedback is received in written form, the receiving Binar representative must:

• Document the Feedback on the Binar Feedback Form (even if the Feedback was provided in another written form);

• Email the Feedback Form (with any original documents attached) to admin@binar.org.au;

• Determine the type of Feedback (Compliment, Complaint and/or Suggestion); and

• Follow the appropriate procedures below.

 

Handling Compliments

The key stages in handling Compliments are:

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Any Binar representative who receives a formal or informal Compliment about themselves, other people, the Binar organisation or its operations should:

• Record the Compliment using the procedures above.

• Report the Compliment to the CEO or Business Manager, in person or via email, so that they are aware of it.

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The CEO or Business Manager should:

• Acknowledge and thank the person offering the Compliment directly (wherever possible).

• Document the Compliment and any decisions or actions arising from it in the Feedback Register.

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Handling Complaints

Any Binar representative who receives a formal or informal Complaint must determine whether that Complaint can be handled immediately, or whether it requires further investigation and escalation.

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Immediate Resolution

If a Complaint can be resolved immediately, it does not need to be recorded or entered in the Feedback Register, e.g., a basketball player may complain that the gym is too hot and this can be immediately remedied by turning a temperature control down.

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Further Investigation

The key stages in handling Complaints are:

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If a Complaint cannot be resolved immediately and requires further investigation, the Binar representative should:

• Record the Complaint using the procedures above.

• Report the Complaint to the CEO, in person, or via a phone call or email, so that they are aware of it.

 

The CEO must report any Serious Complaints to the Board Chairperson at the earliest possible opportunity and seek their advice.

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The CEO may ask the Business Manager, a Program Coordinator or the Board Chairperson to assist them in investigating a Complaint.

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In accordance with the Conflicts of Interest Policy, the CEO should not be involved in an investigation where this involves a Conflict of Interest (e.g., they are the subject of the complaint; or they are friends with, or related to the complainant), in which case, they should ask the Business Manager or Board Chairperson to act as their proxy. In the same way, the proxy should not hold a Conflict of Interest.

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The CEO (or their proxy) must:

• Contact the complainant (or their representative) within 2 working days to acknowledge receipt of their Complaint (e.g., in person, via email or over the phone).

• Explain the complaints process, expected time frames and support available to the complainant.

• Ask for further details from the complainant (if the Complaint is not clear or requires clarification) and how the matter has affected them.

• Conduct an equitable, objective and unbiased investigation as soon as reasonably practicable, gathering all available information and evidence from the parties involved.

• Conclude the investigation as soon as possible and within 2 weeks, or else update the complainant in person and/or in writing about progress.

• Send a written response to the complainant outlining the outcome(s) of the investigation, including any appropriate apology, and/or decisions and remedial actions to be taken.

• If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome(s), invite them to a complaint resolution meeting and inform them of their right to involve a support person or advocate.

• If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome(s) of the complaints resolution meeting, inform them of their right to take their complaint further with an external body (such as the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission, Commissioner for Children and Young People, Office of the Public Advocate, Fair Work Commission, Ombudsman) and/or seek legal representation.

• Document all critical information, evidence and written correspondence related to the Complaint in Binar’s document management system;

• Record the Complaint and the outcome(s) of the complaint process (including any remedial actions) in the Feedback Register.

• Review and update Binar’s Risk Register, if appropriate. 

 

If a Complaint has been made about an Employee, Mentor, Volunteer or Board Member, the person investigating the complaint must inform that person of the Complaint, the outcome of the investigation, the decision reached and the reasons for that decision. After the investigation has been concluded, the investigator must record all the details in that person’s personnel file.

 

If a Complaint is made anonymously, the CEO or their proxy must still conduct an investigation and record the outcome of the Complaint in the Feedback Register.

 

Handling Suggestions

Any Binar representative who receives a formal or informal Suggestion must determine whether that Suggestion can be addressed immediately, or whether it requires further investigation and escalation.

 

Immediate Resolution

If a Suggestion can be addressed immediately, it does not need to be recorded or entered in the Feedback Register, e.g., after a team activity, a Volunteer suggests to the Program Coordinator how they could reorganise the teams in future.

 

Further Investigation

The key stages in handling more complex Suggestions are:

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If a Suggestion cannot be resolved immediately and requires further investigation, the Binar representative should:

• Record the Suggestion using the procedures above.

• Report the Suggestion to the CEO, in person, or via a phone call or email, so that they are aware of it.

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The CEO may ask the Business Manager, a Program Coordinator or the Board Chairperson to assist them in investigating a Suggestion.

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In accordance with the Conflicts of Interest Policy, the CEO should not be involved in an investigation where this involves a Conflict of Interest (e.g., the suggestion is to purchase goods or services from a family member), in which case, they should ask the Business Manager or Board Chairperson to act as their proxy. In the same way, the proxy should not hold a Conflict of Interest.

 

The CEO (or their proxy) must:

• Contact the originator of the Suggestion within 2 working days to acknowledge receipt of their Suggestion (e.g., in person, via email or over the phone).

• Explain the process for handling the Suggestions and expected time frames for an outcome.

• Ask for further details from the originator (if the Suggestion is not clear or requires clarification).

• Conduct an objective and unbiased investigation in a reasonable time frame, gathering all pertinent data, information and evidence.

• Conclude the investigation within 2 weeks, or else update the originator in person and/or in writing about progress.

• Send a written response to the originator outlining the outcome(s) of the investigation, including any decisions and/or actions to be taken.

• If the originator is not satisfied with the outcome(s), invite them to a further meeting and inform them of their right to involve a support person or advocate.

• Document all critical data, information, evidence and written correspondence related to the Suggestion in Binar’s document management system;

• Record the Suggestion and the outcome(s) of the suggestions process in the Feedback Register.

• Review and update Binar’s Risk Register, if appropriate.

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Continuous Improvement

The Business Manager will ensure that Feedback is recorded in a systematic way (including the Feedback Register), so that information can be easily retrieved for reporting and analysis purposes.

 

The Business Manager will analyse this information and look for trends, evaluate the quality of Binar’s activities and operations, prepare reports and identify improvements for the CEO.

 

The CEO will feedback to Board Members at least annually:

• Summary outcomes from all stakeholder surveys;

• The number, nature and frequency of Compliments, Complaints and Suggestions received;

• Systemic issues identified through Complaints and Suggestions;

• The outcome of Serious Complaints, including any external investigations;

• Continuous improvement actions undertaken.

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