Raising Concerns
Raising Concerns
About A Dispute Resolution Professional
All accredited National Mediators (NMAS - National Mediators Accreditation System) and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners (FDRP's) must have access to a complaints mechanism that covers their dispute resolution services, and they are obliged to provide information about their complaints process before providing dispute resolution services.
If you wish to make a complaint about your experience with an accredited FDR practitioner, you should directly raise your complaint with the practitioner in the first instance.
Complaints about a mediator/family dispute resolution practitioner will only be accepted and investigated within 28 days of the mediation session being held. Matters submitted outside of this time period will not be considered.
If the FDR practitioner works for a government funded service such as a Family Relationship Centre and you are not satisfied with how your complaint has been handled, or if you are uncomfortable in pursuing the matter directly with them, you can contact the National Office Complaints Team in the Department of Social Services:
Phone: 1800 634 035
Fax: 02 6204 4587
Email: complaints@dss.gov.au
Privacy
If you make a complaint about a practitioner, any personal information you provide will be collected for the purposes of identifying you as the complainant. If it is deemed necessary, your personal information and the substance of your complaint may be passed to the practitioner concerned in order for them to respond to the issues raised.
We will not disclose your personal information to anyone not named in the complaint. If you do not provide suitable identifying information we will not take action on your complaint.