Complaints & Complaint Handling
Complaints can arise in any club and in any sport. What is important is that complaints are reported and responded to promptly.
In all cases, a complaint should be lodged in the first instance with the relevant Club to allow the complaint to be resolved effectively at club level.
Complaints
Complaints generally arise when something is not as it should be or a level of compliance has not been met. A complaint can also be an opportunity for clubs to identify:
- Unacceptable behaviours
- Breaches of the Codes of Conduct or Policies
- Safety concerns
- Where a new policy, guideline, communication or reminder to members may be necessary.
In most cases, attempt should be made to resolve complaints at the level they occur. Complaints of a serious nature may require a more formal process or escalation to the relevant Association in accordance with the Association’s complaints process or Grievance & Disciplinary Regulations.
Before making a complaint
1. Understand some of the common issues that can occur in sport.
2. Ensure that you have checked the facts before considering what steps might be appropriate, for example:
- What happened
- Where and when it happened
- Who was involved
- Who witnessed it
- Who it was reported to at the time
3. Contact your Club Member Protection Officer, Club Secretary, or a Club Committee Member to:
- discuss your concerns
- find out if the club is already aware of the concerns or incident?
- clarify if there are policies that you can refer to in relation to your concerns
- discuss what your options are in relation to:
- meeting with the club to discuss your concerns further
- whether you need to make a verbal complaint to the club, and who to contact, or
- whether you need to make a written complaint to the club by letter or email, and who to address it to
- if serious, reporting the incident to the Association.
- If a child is at risk of serious harm, reporting to the Child Protection Helpline, or
- If it is a criminal act, reporting to Police.
- if alternative or next steps are available to seek a resolution, or whether to meet, report or escalate.
Making a Complaint
Concerns and complaints should always be raised and handled at the lowest level first, wherever possible. This means club matters should be dealt with at the club; district association matters at the association and state matters at the State Member Federation.
Only national matters and the most serious state matters should be directed to Football Australia. Matters that are directed to the wrong level will likely be re-directed to the most appropriate level to deal with the matter accordingly.
Depending on the nature of your complaint, you may wish to pursue it through an external body such as the Fair Work Commission for matters relating to unfair dismissal or a law enforcement agency, such as the local police should the matter relate to lost or stolen property, intentional damage, graffiti, fraud, assault, or any other criminal activity.
Options to Consider
Do nothing
For minor matters consider seeking clarification first as to whether it may have been a misunderstanding or is easily resolved. Weigh up the pros and cons of doing nothing or raising the concerns with the club. Do you need to make a complaint or can it be resolved another way informally? Consider whether your concerns are genuine or could your concerns be considered vexatious or mischievous or are they based on facts or hearsay? Is it an issue that you can monitor to see if a complaint is necessary?
Monitor
If you are unsure of what to do and it is a minor matter, consider monitoring the situation to see if there is still a concern or whether there is another way the issue can be resolved. If you weren’t present, be sure to ask questions as to why or how it may have occurred and base your concerns on facts and not hearsay by clarifying information with those that were present or reported it to you.
Direct approach
Consider whether speaking to the person directly to clarify what actually happened and why, as sometimes this can help clarify and resolve the matter. If you approach the person to clarify what happened or if they are made aware of your concerns, they may be able to provide a reasonable explanation for what occurred, and if it was an accident or misunderstanding they may offer an apology and do things differently in future. In many cases, it can be beneficial for the person to understand what you may have seen or been told and the concerns that you have, as this can enable them to identify any issues and take steps to rectify and prevent it occurring again.
Seek mediation
Mediation is where a club official or another person arranges a meeting with the two parties involved with the intent to discuss and resolve the issue. For example, if a parent is having a problem with a coach or another parent, a meeting may be arranged between the two parties with a club official or an impartial person to mediate between those present. Again, sometimes these things can arise from a misunderstanding or hearsay and can be easily resolved.
Mediation enables the problem to be discussed and resolved between the parties and the club, politely and respectfully, in a managed setting. If mediation is not agreed by both parties or is unsuccessful, then alternative resolution processes are then often considered or in some cases the complainant may realise the issue is not as serious as first thought and withdraw their complaint.
Verbal complaint
A member can discuss their concerns with the club MPIO, Secretary, President or another official of the club. This may provide the club with an opportunity to monitor the situation themselves and take any steps they believe appropriate or to discuss various options for resolving the matter and/or request that a written complaint be lodged to provide an outline and the details and facts of the complaint including any evidence or witness details.
Official complaint
An official complaint should be in writing and addressed to the Club Secretary. The person who lodges and signs a complaint must be able to be identified and should include their contact details and details of the complaint.
It is important to note that any person being complained about is entitled to be informed of the complaint and who is making the complaint, and be given an opportunity to respond to any allegations or complaint made about them.
Anonymous complaints are generally unable to be acted upon and are more likely to remain unresolved.
Allowing Reasonable Time for Complaints
Most clubs are run by volunteers who give up many hours of their own time to run the club. As committee members often also have their own full-time jobs and usually attend to club matters in their own time on weekends and after work, it is important that when lodging a complaint with a club that a reasonable amount of time is allowed for the complaint to be reviewed, managed and responded to. If after a reasonable time you have not received a response to your complaint, contact the Club Secretary or MPIO or if the complaint has not been addressed within a reasonable time, contact your Local Association.
Keeping Children Safe
Complaint on behalf of a child
If making a complaint on behalf of a child, depending on the child’s age (particularly if a teenager) and depending on the nature of the complaint, it may be beneficial to ask how the child feels about you making a complaint. It is also a good idea to clarify any details with the child and discuss any concerns they may have. This will also ensure that you have all of the facts before considering further steps. This is important particularly if you were not present and did not witness the occurrence yourself or if you are relying on hearsay or second hand information.
Complaint by a child
Where a complaint is made directly by a child to a coach, manager or club official, then the complaint should be noted and reported promptly to the club MPIO or an appropriate club official. A complaint by a child should never be ignored or disregarded.
Reporting a Child at Risk of Serious Harm
If you think a child or young person has been seriously harmed or is at risk of serious harm from abuse or neglect at home, school or sport, or another setting, you can contact:
- Child Protection Helpline – 132 111 (Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
- Police Assistance Line – Dial 131 444
- Attend a NSW Police Station
- In an emergency Dial 000 (triple zero)
or visit NSW Child Protection Helpline & Crisis Numbers
Complaint Handling
Clubs have a duty to respond to complaints and act in the best interests of all parties involved and respond to a complaint as quickly, fairly and effectively as possible. If you are unsure of the process for handling complaints at your club, contact the club MPIO or Secretary for further information. Clubs requiring assistance with complaint handling should contact their Local Association or refer to the information provided below.
Breaches of the Code of Conduct
Here are some examples of the options available to clubs and associations when responding to complaints about or breaches of the Code of Conduct:
- Speaking with the person about their behaviour
- Monitoring the person to observe the reported behaviour
- Mentoring the person on how to improve their behaviour
- Mediation between the aggrieved parties
- Requiring the person to complete Play By The Rules on-line training
- Requiring the person to complete an accredited coaching course or other form of further education
- Issue of a written warning to the person about their behaviour
- Taking disciplinary action
- Suspending the person from their duties for a period of time
- Dismissing the person;
- or a combination of the above
Any action taken is at the discretion of the club or relevant Association or tribunal (if applicable).
The person making the complaint DOES NOT determine how the complaint is managed or what (if any) action or sanction is applied by the club or Association.
Where a coach or other team official identifies that an error in their behaviour has occurred or where a misunderstanding may have occurred, it can be beneficial for the team official to acknowledge this and offer a sincere apology as this can often result in clarifying and resolving the matter.
Complaint Handling Processes
When volunteering to help out at their child’s local club, parents often don’t expect that they might be involved in handling complaints from other parents and members. To assist volunteers in understanding general complaint handling processes, Play by the Rules provides information and free online training courses to help increase the capacity and capability of club volunteers and administrators in managing sport related complaints. Clubs and Associations can also develop their own complaint handling processes applicable to their organisation, ensuring the process includes the necessary complaint handling principles. complaint handling principles.
- Treat complaints seriously
- Act promptly
- Treat people fairly and listen to both sides of the story
- Stay neutral
- Keep parties to the complaint informed
- Try to Maintain confidentiality if possible
- Protect against victimisation
- Keep accurate records
- Make decisions based only on information gathered not personal views
- Disciplinary action should be relative to the breach