Complaints Resolution and Referral Service (CRRS) and the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline (the Hotline)

The Australian Department of Social Services invites suitably qualified organisations to tender for the provision of the Complaints Resolution and Referral Service (CRRS) and the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline (the Hotline).

The CRRS was established to complement internal dispute resolution mechanisms of service providers. It provides an independent complaints option with a focus on facilitating and encouraging local resolution of issues between Clients and service providers, or referral of complaints to a more suitable body or jurisdiction where appropriate. Complaints may be made in relation to issues such as:

• resolution between the Client and the service provider;

• resolution between Clients;

• other Clients and how their behaviour impacts upon the complainant;

• compliance with the National Standards for Disability Services (NSDS);

• potential code of conduct breaches under the DSI Act;

• how a certification or surveillance audit was conducted by a third-party certification body in relation to services received by the Client;

• human rights;

• equal opportunities;

• criminal acts, including fraud, sexual abuse and physical abuse; and

• any other matter requiring an external agency’s intervention.

The Hotline provides a complementary referral service to the complaints handling mechanisms of the States and Territories, as well as other complaints handling bodies such as the Ombudsman, Anti-Discrimination Boards and the Complaints Resolution and Referral Service. The Hotline works with callers to find appropriate ways of dealing with reports of abuse or neglect through referral, information and support. The Hotline provides:

• a nationally accessible service for the reporting of abuse and neglect of people with disability;

• a culturally appropriate service; and

• prompt referral of abuse and neglect to the relevant authority for resolution, including linking people with advocacy and other services, as appropriate.

The CRRS and Hotline have the following telephone service requirements:

• operation of the national 1800 telephone service for both CRRS and the Hotline and must have capacity to support users who use the National Relay Service;

• operation of the CRRS and the Hotline between 9am and 7pm (Australian Eastern Standard time and Eastern Daylight-Saving Time, as applicable) Monday to Friday, except Australian national public holidays;

• provide an after-hours message recording service for calls received outside the telephone service hours;

• acknowledge all calls diverted to the after-hours answering service by no later than the next Business Day after the message has been recorded;

• must have the capacity to answer telephone and email queries from Clients within required timeframes.

The Department invites interested parties (Tenderers) to submit Tenders for the provision of the CRRS and Hotline Services, as described in the Statement of Requirement, subject to the terms and conditions set out or referred to in this Request for Tender (RFT).