Compliments and complaints

The Department of Youth Justice is committed to continual improvement and development of its services to young people in the youth justice system in Queensland.

We want to hear your feedback – good or bad – to help us ensure we are delivering a quality service to the community.

As part of the complaint process, the Department of Youth Justice may collect your personal information for managing your complaint in accordance with the department’s complaints management policies. We may disclose your personal information to other government agencies or third parties for the purpose of responding to or managing your complaint, or for evaluation purposes. Your personal information will be handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld).

Compliments

To tell us about something we’ve done well, you can submit a compliment by contacting your local youth justice service centre or youth detention centre directly.

Alternatively, you can write to the Office of the Deputy Director-General with your feedback via email.

Complaints

We are committed to effective complaints management and will deal with all complaints in a responsive, confidential and fair manner.

Complaints can be made regarding a range of issues, including:

  • a decision we have made or not made
  • the service we have provided or not provided
  • a service that is funded by us
  • the behaviour of our employees
  • one of our acts or practices in relation to the individual's personal information that may be a breach of our obligation under the Information Privacy Act 2009.

We are currently in the process of developing a complaints policy and procedure. When this is finalised, it will be uploaded here. Further information can be found below relating to how your complaint is managed by the department.

Complaints management process

Try to resolve the complaint

Complaints are best resolved at the local or regional level, so in the first instance please contact your local youth justice service centre or youth detention centre to resolve any issues or concerns.

Complaints about a youth detention centre

If you are a child, parent or carer of someone in a youth detention centre and something has or has not happened that you are unhappy about, you can make a complaint about it. Learn more about complaints about a youth detention centre.

Make a formal complaint

If your complaint can’t be resolved at the local or regional level, or you are unhappy with the response to your complaint, please email the Office of the Deputy Director-General, Department of Youth justice. Please include all details of your complaint in writing including a description of what happened, dates, phone calls, letters and meetings.

What happens after you make a complaint

Once we’ve received your complaint, a departmental officer managing your complaint will keep you informed on its progress and any action taken. On completion of the complaint process, the departmental officer will take note of how your complaint was managed and whether you are satisfied with the outcome.

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your complaint, you can request that your complaint be reviewed internally by the department. If following this review you are still unhappy with the outcome, you can contact the Queensland Ombudsman to request an independent review by phoning them on 1800 068 908 or sending an email.

Human rights complaints

From 1 January 2020, new legislation, the Human Rights Act 2019 came into effect in Queensland. This legislation recognises that human rights must be exercised by the department in its conduct of services and functions in a way that respects and does not unreasonably limit or restrict a person’s human rights. Complaints in relation to human rights will only be able to be made about alleged human rights breaches which occur after 1 January 2020. Additionally, from 1 January 2020 if you are not satisfied with the department’s response to a human rights complaint, you can contact the Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC) who may be able to resolve your complaint through a conciliation process. More details on the QHRC can be obtained on the commission’s website.

Other complaint resolution contacts

While every attempt will be made to resolve your complaint, sometimes we might not be the most appropriate agency to help you.

Other key complaint resolution contacts are: