Complaints handling
Annual Report 2021 - 2022
An open and efficient complaints process helps us improve our services and remain accountable to the people we serve.
We received 54 frontline complaints about wait times and customer service issues, three privacy related complaints, 204 frontline complaints about solicitor conduct (both in-house and private lawyers), and 15 other non-categorised complaints in 2021–2022. These were handled at a local level and did not require a formal response or investigation.
We received 182 escalated complaints. These complaints required further investigation and often further explanation or action was required.
We received 159 enquiries from third parties querying another person’s grant of aid.
We encourage all types of feedback. Complaints, compliments and suggestions help us improve the quality of the services we provide and identify risks. We received 83 compliments in 2021–2022.
Our complaints policy has two performance targets for complaint response times:
- 15 business days, or
- 30 business days for complaints about private lawyers.
Where we do not meet these response times for a complaint, we report this to the Legal Aid NSW Executive. We consistently met our performance targets for complaints managed within a 15 business day timeframe. For information on response times for complaints about private lawyers, see the chapter in Collaborating with our partners.
Key representatives from across Legal Aid NSW met bi-monthly in 2021–2022 to identify and discuss complaints and areas of potential service improvement. This included monitoring the impact of COVID-19 and improving processes for priority clients to create a consistent approach.
All new staff complete an induction which includes training on feedback and complaints to improve staff understanding of complaint-handling processes. In addition, the Complaints and Client Services Officer works one on one with teams to support staff to better understand and respond to challenging client behaviour.
| Complaints | 2020–21 | 2021–22 |
|---|---|---|
| Grants – refusals | 28 | 14 |
| Grants – contribution policy | 2 | 0 |
| Grants – costs | 1 | 4 |
| Grants – section 25 or section 26 | 5 | 1 |
| Grants – termination | 8 | 8 |
| In-house – customer service | 11 | 14 |
| In-house – conduct | 80 | 47 |
| Staff – conduct (other than in-house lawyer) | 15 | 11 |
| Policy or administrative processes | 11 | 8 |
| Private lawyer – conduct | 38* | 9* |
| Private lawyer – section 41 | 1 | 3 |
| Private lawyer – complaints about Legal Aid NSW | 2 | 1 |
| Independent Children’s Lawyer – conduct | 15 | 18 |
| Mediator – conduct | 8 | 11 |
| Funding allocations | 2 | 1 |
| Other | 28 | 26 |
| To be determined | 18 | 6 |
| Total complaints | 273 | 182 |
*In 2020–21 the Private Lawyer Quality Standards Unit took over the management of complaints about private lawyers.
- We will integrate LawAccess NSW into the complaints management system and provide training to staff on handling complaints and feedback.
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Overview
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
-
Client Services
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
-
Collaborating with our partners
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
-
Managing our organisation
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
-
Financial summary
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
-
Appendices
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
Share with
-
Overview
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
-
Client Services
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
-
Collaborating with our partners
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
-
Managing our organisation
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
-
Financial summary
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
-
Appendices
- Chair's report
- Acting CEO's report
- Key activities of the board
- Board members 2021-2022
- Organisational structure
- Senior Executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- What we did over the past year
- Fact file
- Measuring our performance
- How our key services tracked over the last five years
- A snapshot of our services
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