Addressing parents' concerns and complaints effectively: policy and

Addressing parents’ concerns

and complaints effectively:

policy and guides

Ofﬁce for Government School Education

Published by the Group Coordination Division,

Ofﬁce for Government School Education,

Department of Education and

Early Childhood Development

Melbourne

April 2009

and Early Childhood Development) 2009

The copyright in this document is owned by the

State of Victoria (Department of Education and

Early Childhood Development), or in the case of some

materials, by third parties (third party materials).

No part may be reproduced by any process except in

accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act

1968, the National Education Access Licence for

Schools (NEALS) (see below) or with permission.

An educational institution situated in

Australia which is not conducted for proﬁt,

or a body responsible for administering such

an institution, may copy and communicate the

materials, other than third party materials, for the

educational purposes of the institution.

Authorised by the Department of Education and

Early Childhood Development,

2 Treasury Place, East Melbourne, Victoria, 3002.

ISBN 978-0-7594-0540-0

Accessibility

If you would like to receive this publication in an

accessible format, such as large print or audio, please

telephone 1800 809 834, or email [email protected].au

This document is also available in PDF format on the

internet at www.education.vic.gov.au

Foreword

The Victorian Government’s Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood

Development recognises that involving parents in their child’s education is critical to

children’s development and learning. It emphasises fostering positive relationships

with parents and families and developing strong school community partnerships.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development also recognises

that in all partnerships there will be times when there are disagreements and issues

of concern that will need to be resolved. The Addressing parents’ concerns and

complaints effectively: policy and guides supports the Blueprint by articulating

the Department’s approach to dealing with parent complaints.

The policy provides advice for schools to assist them in developing school-level

parent complaints policy and procedures. The guides are for use by school staff and

are of practical assistance in communicating effectively with parents.

Some concerns raised by parents are complex; however in all cases an open,

consistent approach that is courteous, efﬁcient and fair best addresses parent

concerns. Such an approach provides opportunities to build partnerships between

schools and families.

Implementing this policy will support school improvement and I look forward to

even stronger school community relationships developing in Victorian schools.

Prof, Peter Dawkins

Secretary

Contents

Section A: About the policy and guides 2

Introduction 2

Aims 2

About parents’ concerns and complaints 2

Applicability 3

Policy framework 3

Section B: Concerns and complaints policy 4

Expectations 4

Concern or complaint management process 5

Anonymous complaints 10

Unreasonable complainant conduct 10

Communicating and monitoring the parent complaints policy 11

Summary of roles and responsibilities 14

Section C: Advice for schools when developing concerns 16

and complaints policy and procedures

Title 16

The school’s values 16

Concerns and complaints covered by the procedures 16

Ownership and scope 17

Expectations 17

Raising concerns or complaints 18

Help with raising concerns or complaints 18

Managing parent concerns and complaints information 19

Addressing concerns or complaints 19

Remedies 20

Referral of concerns or complaints 20

Communication and training 20

Monitoring the parent complaints policy 21

Section D: Guides 22

Introduction 22

1. Building positive relationships 23

2. Dealing with a complainant 24

3. Improving your listening skills 26

4. Saying ‘yes’ and ‘no’ with conﬁdence 27

5. Understanding the blame cycle 29

6. Managing a request for an apology 30

7. Moving beyond a stalemate 31

8. Encouraging fair play in negotiations 34

9. Managing aggressive reactions 36

10. Managing unreasonable complainant conduct 37

11. Responding to strong emotions 40

12. Managing confrontation 41

13. Managing your anger 43

14. Being calm in a high-stress situation 45

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

The policy and guides were developed in response to a 2005 review by Ombudsman

Victoria of the then Department of Education and Training’s handling of parent complaints.

The Ombudsman recommended that the Department ‘review its guidelines for managing

complaints in schools and regional ofﬁces to ensure a balance between the rights of

complainants and ofﬁcers’.

The policy and guides support the Department’s objective of strengthening the quality

of its service delivery and responsiveness to the community. The Department uses the

information provided through its concerns and complaints procedures as an opportunity

for continuous improvement of its services and performance.

Aims

As a result of implementing the policy, the Ofﬁce for Government School

Education, its central

divisions, regional ofﬁces and schools will have procedures in place to address concerns and

complaints promptly, consistently and fairly.

The guides will assist Department staff to conﬁdently address the concerns and complaints of

parents about their child’s education.

About parents’ concerns and complaints

Parents’ concerns and complaints most commonly relate to:

• themanagementofanincidentbetweenstudentsataschool

• theeducationalorotherprogressoftheirchild

• thedevelopmentandimplementationofschoolandgeneraleducationpolicy.

‘Parent’ in the policy has the same meaning as in the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, which is:

‘parent’, in relation to a child, includes a guardian and every person who has parental

responsibility for the child including parental responsibility under the Family Law Act 1975

of the Commonwealth and any person with whom a child normally or regularly resides.

For the purposes of the policy:

•a‘concern’ is an issue of interest (because of its importance and effect) which is raised

informally in order to improve or change a situation. For example:

I believe that the school’s physical education policy and program is inadequate.

I don’t think that it caters for students who have well-developed skills and who need to

be involved in competitive sport. I think the school should review its policy in this area.

• a

‘complaint’ is an expression of grievance or resentment where the complainant is

seeking redress or justice. For example:

My daughter has been left out of the school’s netball team for the third time in a row.

She is an accomplished netballer and deserves to be part of the team. It is not fair that

she is left out and I want you to do something about it

Section A:

About the policy and guides

Introduction

This publication contains:

the Department of

Education and Early

Childhood Development’s

(the Department)

policy and procedures

for addressing parent

concerns and complaints

(including advice for

schools to develop

their own concerns and

complaints procedures)

and fourteen guides

that provide practical

advice for principals,

teachers and other

educational personnel

about issues to consider

when implementing the

Department’s policy and

a school’s procedures on

managing complaints.

Applicability

This policy applies to the Ofﬁce for Government School Education, including its

divisions, regional ofﬁces and schools.

The policy does not apply to matters about which there are existing rights of

(and processes for) review or appeal. If, at any stage, it becomes apparent that

the concern or complaint relates to such matters, the relevant procedures should

be implemented immediately.

This policy is not applicable where a complainant has employed another party to

represent them, such as a solicitor. In these circumstances, the concern or complaint

should be referred to the Department’s Legal Services Branch for their assessment.

However a complainant is entitled to an advocate who can be a friend or colleague or

a person provided through an appropriate support agency who does not receive a fee

for service.

Policy framework

Legislative and regulatory framework

All concerns and complaints must be addressed in line with the Department’s legislative

and regulatory framework, which includes the:

• EducationandTrainingReformAct2006

• EducationandTrainingReformRegulations2007

• CharterofHumanRightsandResponsibilitiesAct2006

• InformationPrivacyAct2000

• WrongsAct1958.

Dignity and respect statement

Concerns and complaints must be addressed in line with the Department’s 2006 Dignity and

Respect Statement. The statement says that:

The Department is committed to providing safe and supportive work environments where diversity is

valued and everyone is treated with respect, fairness and dignity.

Discrimination, sexual and other forms of harassment, bullying, violence and threatening behaviour

are unacceptable.

All employees, students, parents and visitors in schools and other Departmental workplaces are

expected to act accordingly.

The Department (which includes schools) and school councils, will act to ensure that the safety,

security, health and wellbeing of all employees, students, parents and visitors in schools and other

Departmental workplaces are protected.

Code of conduct for Victorian teachers and public sector employees

All staff must observe the code of conduct for the Victorian teaching profession or public

sector employees. The codes can be found on the following sites:

Victorian Teaching Profession Code of Conduct

www.vit.vic.edu.au

Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees

www.ssa.vic.gov.au

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

The Department expects that all parties will, when addressing concerns and complaints:

• maintainthecondentialityofallparties,inlinewithDepartmentalpolicyandlegislative

requirements

• acknowledgethattheircommongoalistoachieveanoutcomeacceptabletoallparties

• actingoodfaithandinacalmandcourteousmanner

• showrespectandunderstandingofeachother’spointofviewandvaluedifference,

rather than judge and blame

• recognisethatallpartieshaverightsandresponsibilitieswhichmustbebalanced.

Principals should ensure that parents are aware of their right to advocacy when

communicating the issues involved in their complaint and in negotiating an outcome.

Refer to the parent complaints website:

www.education.vic.gov.au/about/contact/parentcomplaint.htm

In addition to the expectations of all parties above, the Department will address complaints:

• courteously

• efciently

• fairly

• promptly,withintimelinesagreedwiththepersonwiththeconcernorcomplaint

(where possible concerns or complaints should be addressed within 20 school days)

• inaccordancewithdueprocessandwhereappropriate,theprinciplesofnaturaljustice

and the Department’s regulatory framework.

Section B: Concerns

and complaints policy

Expectations

Concerns and complaints

are best addressed

by students, parents,

teachers, principals and

support staff working

in partnership.

Parent concern or complaint

A parent can raise a concern or complaint about any aspect of a school’s operations. In the

ﬁrst instance, they should take a concern or make a complaint to the school. Any complaint

raised with the regional or central ofﬁce that has not been raised at the school level will be

referred to the school for resolution (unless there are special circumstances which prevent

the school from managing the complaint).

School principal determines appropriate complaint procedure

Concerns and complaints relating to a school are most effectively addressed by the school.

A school must make every effort to resolve a concern or complaint related to it before

involving other levels of the Department.

After due consideration of the issues raised by the complainant a school principal is to

determine the most appropriate way to address a concern or complaint, either by:

• usingtheschool’sgeneralconcernsandcomplaintsprocedures,or

• asoutlinedunderlegislatedandothercomplaintsprocesses(seepage7).

Also see the Human Resources website at:

www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/hrweb/workm/perform/conduct.htm

Concern or complaint

management process

Figure 1 shows the process by which a

concern or complaint made to a school by

a parent about any aspect of their child’s

education will be addressed.

Parents’ concern or complaint

Regional ofﬁce support

available to address

complex complaints

Central ofﬁce (Group

coordination division)

review of unresolved

complaints

Legislated complaints

processes initiated

(see Victorian Government

Schools Reference Guide

– Human Resources

Complaints Resolution)

School procedures to

address concerns and

complaints initiated

OUTCOME

- Complaint resolved

- Complaint dismissed

- Complaint addressed

OUTCOME

- Complaint resolved

- Complaint dismissed

- Complaint unresolved

referred to appropriate

external agency – e.g.

Ombudsman Victoria

OUTCOME

- Complaint dismissed

- Complaint resolved

unsatisfactory performance

procedures commenced

- Serious misconduct

procedures commenced

Figure 1: Concerns and complaints management process

School principal determines appropriate process

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

School’s policy and procedures to address concerns and complaints

In line with Departmental policy, the Department requires a school to:

• developpolicyandprocedurestoaddressconcernsandcomplaints,incollaborationwith

parents and the school community, that respond to the nature and complexity of the

concern or complaint

• regularlymakeinformationaboutitsproceduresreadilyavailabletoitscommunity,in

clear and easy-to-understand language and, where appropriate, in a range of community

languages and in formats that are accessible to everyone so that no-one is disadvantaged

• reviewitspolicyandproceduresaspartoftheschoolcouncil’scyclicpolicyandprocedures

review schedule.

A school’s policy and procedures to address concerns and complaints should be based on the

advice provided in Section C and include all the categories of information as described. This will

help ensure that the school’s procedures are consistent with Departmental policy.

A school must ensure that it has systems and processes in place to implement its policy and

procedures in addressing concerns and complaints.

A school is to ensure a complainant is aware of its local policy and procedures to address

concerns and complaints and the Department’s complaints process. When necessary,

information should be provided to the complainant as soon as possible after their concern or

complaint is raised.

Legislated and other complaints processes

This policy does not apply to matters where there are existing legislated rights of review or

appeal. These matters must be managed in line with the procedures and processes detailed

in the Victorian Government Schools Reference Guide and on the Department’s Human

Resources website. These matters include:

• studentexpulsions

See the

Victorian Government Schools Reference Guide at:

http://www.education.vic.

gov.au/management/governance/referenceguide/enviro/4_7.htm

• complaintsaboutstaffthatifupheldwouldconstitutemisconduct

• complaintsbytheDepartment’semployeesrelatedtotheiremployment

• complaintsaboutanemployee’sconductorperformancegrievanceoractionunder

Division 9A or Division 10 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006

• studentcriticalincidentmatters

• othercriminalmatters.

See the Human Resources website at:

www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/hrweb/workm perform/conduct.htm.

Regional ofﬁce support for complex complaints

Each regional director will ensure the regional ofﬁce has procedures to address complaints

which reﬂect the Department’s policy. Regional ofﬁces are to:

• supportschoolstodeveloppoliciesandprocedurestoaddressconcernsandcomplaintsin

line with the Department’s policy

• ensurethat,whereverpossible,aschoolresolvesconcernsandcomplaintsrelatedtoit

• ensurethattrainingincomplaintsmanagementisofferedtoregionalofceandschool

staff, including school councillors and other non-department employees.

If a school is unable to resolve a complaint, it can contact the regional ofﬁce for support from

the community liaison ofﬁcer, assistant regional director or other ofﬁcers as appropriate.

Complex complaints are those that:

• defyresolutionoveralongperiodoftime

• involvecomplexissues(includingissuesinvolvingmorethanoneschool)

• mayincludecomplaintsabouttheprincipalofaschool.

Escalating to the regional ofﬁce

If a parent with a concern or complaint is not satisﬁed with the outcome determined

by the school, they can contact the appropriate regional ofﬁce. Depending on the

nature and complexity of the concern or complaint, the regional director may involve

the assistant regional director, the community liaison ofﬁcer or other ofﬁcers in the

resolution of the issue.

Where relevant, the ofﬁcer will ask the complainant for a complete and factual account in

writing of the concern or complaint and the complainant’s opinion about why they believe

the school did not resolve the issue to their satisfaction. Where the complainant is unable to

provide a written account the ofﬁcer should act on the information provided verbally.

Regional ofﬁce staff will respond promptly to complaints received and, where appropriate,

immediately acknowledge, in writing, the receipt of a written complaint. They will, as far as

possible, attempt to resolve the issue raised by the complainant and provide a ﬁnal response

within 20 school days.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

Escalating to central ofﬁce – Deputy Secretary, Ofﬁce for Government

School Education

If the complaint cannot be resolved by the complainant, school and regional ofﬁce

working together, the regional ofﬁce or the complainant may refer the complaint to the

Deputy Secretary, Ofﬁce for Government School Education, as per advice provided on the

Department’s parent complaints website at:

www.education.vic.gov.au/about/contact/parentcomplaint.htm

If a complaint has not already been raised with the school or regional ofﬁce prior to its

receipt at central ofﬁce, it will be referred to the relevant regional ofﬁce for investigation

and resolution.

When a complainant registers a complaint with the Deputy Secretary, Ofﬁce for Government

School Education, the complainant will be asked to state in writing why they consider the

complaint was not resolved. The complainant will also be asked to outline a realistic course

of action to resolve the complaint.

If the complaint raises complex issues, the Deputy Secretary may determine that its

resolution requires an independent review undertaken by an external agency.

If the complaint remains unresolved after all the Department’s processes have been

implemented, the Deputy Secretary may refer the complainant to an external agency,

such as Ombudsman Victoria, for investigation.

Group Coordination Division review of unresolved complaints

The Group Coordination Division, on behalf of the Deputy Secretary, Ofﬁce for Government

School Education, will review unresolved complaints that:

• areexceptionallycomplex

• relatetobroaderVictorianGovernmentpolicyissues.

Outcomes

The school is to communicate the outcomes of concerns and complaints to all parties

involved, taking into account any relevant privacy requirements.

When attempting to resolve complaints, schools and regional ofﬁces can make use of the

services provided by the Dispute Settlement Centre Victoria, which provides a free mediation

service. Further information is available at:

www.justice.vic.gov.au/disputes/

Complaint resolved

A complaint is considered to be resolved when the complainant and the Department

(school, regional ofﬁce or central ofﬁce) agree on an appropriate response or remedy.

Possible responses and remedies include:

• anexplanation

• anacknowledgementofeachother’sperspectiveandagreementonwaystomanage

differences

• anapologyorexpressionofregret

• anadmissionoffault

• achangeofdecision

• achangeofpolicy,procedureorpractice

• agreementonwhatconstitutesacceptablebehaviour

• anundertakingthatunacceptablebehaviourwillchange

• thewaivingofdebtrelatedtoschoolfeesandpayments

• arefundofparentpayments

• theprovisionofcounsellingorothersupport.

Remedies should be implemented as soon as possible.

Complaint dismissed

A complaint can only be dismissed:

• afterithasbeeninvestigated

• ifaninvestigationhasdeterminedthatthecomplaintcannotbesubstantiated.

Complaint unresolved

A complaint is considered to be unresolved if the complainant does not agree on a course

of action and/or a remedy, or if the remedy cannot be implemented. In such cases, a school

must involve its regional ofﬁce to assist in resolving the complaint.

If the complaint raises complex issues which are unable to be resolved by the regional ofﬁce,

Group Coordination Division may, on behalf of the Deputy Secretary, Ofﬁce for Government

School Education, determine that an independant investigation is required.

It may not always be possible to fully resolve all complaints to the complainant’s satisfaction.

This could happen if the complainant has unrealistic expectations about the outcome of their

complaint, or if the Department’s policies or regulations are contrary to their views.

If the complaint remains unresolved at the completion of all the Department’s procedures,

or if the complainant is dissatisﬁed with the manner in which the complaint was handled

by the Department, the Department may inform the complainant of options for review by

an external agency such as Ombudsman Victoria.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

Anonymous complaints

The Department requires all complaints to be investigated. However, it recognises that

its staff might not be able to fully investigate a complaint if they cannot effectively liaise

with the complainant. Furthermore, anonymous complaints raise natural justice issues for

respondents who have a right to know the particulars of the allegations made against them.

The school principal, regional director or general manager, Group Coordination Division,

should determine the extent to which an anonymous complaint received by the school,

region or central ofﬁce shall be investigated. Where the complaint is about the principal of a

school the decision to investigate the complaint shall be made by the regional director.

Unreasonable complainant conduct

Unreasonable complainant conduct is behaviour that:

• isclearlyandsignicantlyoutsidetheexpectationsofcondentiality,cooperation,

courtesy and respect

• callsforstaffresourcesandtimeunjustiedbythenatureorsignicanceofthecomplaint

• isvexatious(thatis,anactionorcomplaintthatisbroughtwithoutmerit,oftentocause

annoyance to another person)

• isorientedtowardsconict.

Refer to

Unreasonable complainant conduct: interim practice manual

at:

www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au

The school principal, regional director or the general manager, Group Coordination Division can

determine if a complainant’s conduct is unreasonable. If so determined, they will:

• developaplantoaddressthecomplaintandthecomplainant’sinteractionwiththe

Department

• informthecomplainantoftheplan

• ensureallDepartmentalofcersadheretotheplanascloselyaspracticable.

When a complainant uses threatening or violent behaviour all Departmental employees should

follow the Occupational Violence Policy, available from the Human Resources website at:

www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/hrweb/ohs/other/DETpub.htm

Additional information can also be obtained from the

Victorian Government Schools Reference

Guide

, section 6.16.11: Options for dealing with trespassers and violence in schools.

Communicating and monitoring

the parent complaints policy

Schools

Communication

Each school should make information about both the Department’s policy and procedures

for addressing concerns and complaints and its own local procedures readily available to the

school community. All information must be in clear and easy-to-understand language and,

where appropriate in a range of community languages, and in formats that are accessible to

everyone, so that no-one is disadvantaged. Information should include:

• expectationsofapersonmakingacomplaint

• howapersoncanmakeacomplaint

• informationtobeprovidedbytheperson

• whothepersonshouldcontactandtheircontactdetails

• theprocessandtimeframeforaddressingcomplaints.

The school should brief all members of staff (including volunteers) about its concerns

and complaints procedures annually. It must also provide staff with access to training and

support materials appropriate to their responsibilities under the procedures.

The school should ensure parent complaints are addressed promptly, within agreed timelines

where possible. The length of time may vary according to the complexity of the complaint,

however, in most cases the school should attempt to resolve parent concerns or complaints

within 20 school days. The school will communicate to the complainant any reasons for a

delay in addressing their complaint.

Schools are required to administer the Department’s annual parent opinion survey that

includes the statement ‘I know how to make a complaint’. Schools should use the results

from the survey when reﬂecting on the school’s communication strategy.

Monitoring

The school should establish and maintain a system to record and monitor complaints and

their resolution.

The school should consider recording the following details of all complaints received, even if

the complaint appears to be minor:

• nameandcontactdetails(withpermission)ofthepersonwithaconcernorcomplaint

• thedatetheconcernwasexpressedorcomplaintmade

• theforminwhichtheconcernorcomplaintwasreceived(suchasface-to-face,by

telephone, in writing, by email)

• abriefdescriptionoftheconcernorcomplaint

• detailsoftheschoolofcerrespondingtotheconcernorcomplaint

• actiontakenontheconcernorcomplaint

• theoutcomeofactiontakenontheconcernorcomplaint

• anyrecommendationsforfutureimprovementintheschool’spolicyorprocedures.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

However, in the ﬁrst instance, when the complaint is easily resolved in a telephone call, a

brief note in the school’s/principal’s/teacher’s diary recording the issue and the resolution

may be all that is required.

The school should monitor parent concerns and complaints and consider issues raised

through the parent complaints process, and any other relevant information from the

parent opinion survey, when undertaking a review of the school’ s policies, procedures and

operations.

The school council should regularly review its policy and procedures to effectively address

parent concerns and complaints as part of its cyclic policy and procedures review schedule.

Regional ofﬁces

Communication

Each regional ofﬁce is to have information about policy and procedures to address concerns

and complaints on its website, with a link to the Department’s parent complaints website.

Information should include:

• howapersoncanmakeacomplaint

• expectationsofallpartiesinvolvedinresolvingacomplaint

• informationtobeprovidedbytheperson

• whothepersonshouldcontactandtheircontactdetails

• theprocessandtimeframeforaddressingcomplaints.

The regional ofﬁce is to ensure staff members have access to training about responding

to and addressing concerns and complaints. Training opportunities should be provided to

regional and school personnel including school councillors and other non-departmental

employees as required.

The regional ofﬁce should also brief all regional ofﬁce staff about its policy and procedures to

address concerns and complaints annually. Brieﬁngs for new staff should be included as part

of their induction program.

The region should ensure parent complaints are addressed promptly, within agreed timelines

where possible. The length of time may vary according to the complexity of the complaint,

however, in most cases the region should attempt to resolve parent concerns or complaints,

in consultation with the school, within 20 school days. The region will communicate to the

complainant any reasons for a delay in addressing their complaint.

Monitoring

The regional ofﬁce should maintain appropriate details of parent complaints addressed by

the ofﬁce and use information from the complaints it has managed to identify common or

recurring issues that may need to be addressed within the region.

Central ofﬁce

Communication

The Group Coordination Division on behalf of the Deputy Secretary, Ofﬁce for

Government School Education:

• communicatestheDepartment’sparentconcernsandcomplaintspolicyandproceduresto

principals and regional directors

• developsandprovidessupportmaterialsforschoolstouseinaddressingparentconcerns

and complaints

• ensuresappropriatetrainingisprovidedtocentralofcersinvolvedinthecomplaints

management process

• assistscomplainantsinthecomplaintsprocessbypublishinginformationaboutthe

Department’s complaints policy and procedures on the parent complaints website.

The website information will include:

- what a parent with a complaint may expect and is entitled to

- how a parent can make a complaint

- the responsibilities of, and expectations made, of the person making the complaint

- information to be provided by the parent

- who the parent should contact and their contact details

- the process for addressing complaints

- the timeframe for addressing complaints

- access to the Department’s policy and guides.

The Division has produced an easy-to-understand brochure for parents outlining its whole-

of-Department complaints management process. Schools can access copies of the brochure

from the Department website at:

www.education.vic.gov.au/about/contact/parentcomplaint.htm

The brochure is produced in a number of community languages.

The Group Coordination Division on behalf of the Deputy Secretary, Ofﬁce for the Government

School Education will ensure parent complaints referred to the ofﬁce are addressed promptly,

within agreed timelines where possible. The length of time may vary according to the

complexity of the complaint, however, in most cases the Group Coordination Division will

attempt to resolve parent concerns or complaints, in consultation with the relevant regional

ofﬁce, within 20 school days. The central ofﬁce will communicate to the complainant any

reasons for a delay in addressing their complaint.

Monitoring

The Group Coordination Division will maintain information concerning parent complaints

addressed by the Ofﬁce for Government School Education and use the information to

identify common or recurring issues and, where necessary, implement improvements to the

Department’s policy and procedures.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

Summary of roles and responsibilities

School

• Develops,publicisesandimplementsitspolicyandprocedurestoeffectivelyaddress

parent concerns and complaints.

• Ensuresallreasonablestepshavebeenundertakeninresolvingparentconcerns

and complaints.

• Maintainsthecondentialityofallpartiesandobservestheprinciplesofnaturaljustice.

• Contactstheregionalofceforsupportwithanycomplexcomplaints.

• Communicatestheoutcomesofconcernsandcomplaints,wherepossible,

to all relevant parties.

• Communicatesitspolicyandproceduresclearlyandregularlytoparentsand

the school community.

• EnsuresallnewstaffmembersareawareoftheschoolandDepartment’spoliciesand

procedures in relation to addressing parent concerns and complaints.

• Briefsallstaffmembers(includingvolunteers)onthepolicyandproceduresannually.

• Providesstaffwith(orprovidesaccessto)trainingandsupportappropriatetotheir

responsibilities under the procedures.

• Establishesandmaintainsadministrativeprocessestomanageconcernsandcomplaints

raised at the school.

• EnsuresthatitspolicyandproceduresareconsistentwiththeDepartment’spolicy.

• Regularlyreviewsitsrecordofcomplaintstoidentifycommonorrecurringissuesthatmay

need to be addressed.

• Modiesotherschoolpoliciesandproceduresasrequiredasaresultofaddressing

concerns and complaints.

• Ensuresthatallpartiesinadisputedcomplaintareawareoftheirentitlementtosupport

through an advocate. An advocate can be a friend or colleague or an unpaid support

person provided through an appropriate agency.

• Reectsonthepersonalattributesnecessaryforstaffselectedtomanageconcernsand

complaints (see GoodPracticeGuide:OmbudsmanVictoria’sguidetocomplainthandling

for Victorian public sector agencies).

Teacher and home group teacher: usually best placed to resolve concerns and complaints

relating to student learning and speciﬁc student incidents in the teacher’s class or group.

Year level coordinator: provides support when students from other classes are involved.

Assistant principal: usually best placed to resolve concerns and complaints relating to staff

members or complex student issues.

Principal: usually best placed to resolve concerns and complaints relating to school policy,

school management, staff members or complex student issues.

Regional ofﬁce

• Ensureswheneverpossiblethataschoolresolvesconcernsandcomplaintsrelatedtoit.

• Ensuresthatregionalandschoolpolicyandproceduresareinlinewiththe

Department’s policy.

• Supportsschoolstoresolvecomplexcomplaints.

• Ensuresregionalandschoolpersonnelhaveaccesstoappropriatetrainingandsupportto

address parent concerns and complaints.

• Briefsallregionalstaffonthepolicyandprocedurestoaddressparentconcernsand

complaints annually.

• Reviewsinformationoncomplaintsithasmanagedtoidentifycommonorrecurringissues

that may need to be addressed.

• Reectsonthepersonalattributesnecessaryforstaffselectedtomanageconcernsand

complaints (see GoodPracticeGuide:OmbudsmanVictoria’sguidetocomplainthandling

for Victorian public sector agencies).

Community liaison ofﬁcer: usually acts as an initial contact for concerns and complaints for

the regional ofﬁce and provides support to schools to address concerns and complaints.

Assistant regional director: usually manages how the regional ofﬁce will address complex

concerns and complaints made to the ofﬁce.

Regional director: ensures schools’ concerns and complaints procedures comply with

Department policy and provides advice to schools.

Ofﬁce for Government School Education-Group Coordination Division

• Developsdepartmentalpolicyandguidesonaddressingparentconcernsandcomplaints.

• DisseminatesandprovidesadvicetothecommunityabouttheDepartment’spolicyon

addressing parent concerns and complaints.

• CommunicatestheDepartment’spolicytoprincipalsandregionaldirectors.

• Ensureswheneverpossiblethataschoolresolvesconcernsandcomplaintsrelatedtoit,

with the assistance of the regional ofﬁce if necessary.

• Reviewsthemanagementandoutcomesofspeciccomplaintswhereappropriate.

This may involve assisting regional ofﬁces with exceptionally complex complaints or

complaints that relate to broader departmental or government policy issues.

• Appointsappropriatepersonstoundertakeindependentreviewsofcomplexcomplaints

where required.

• Regularlyreviewsinformationoncomplaintsithasmanagedtoidentifyand,where

necessary, implement improvements to the Department’s policy and procedures.

• Reectsonthepersonalattributesnecessaryforstaffselectedtomanageconcerns

and complaints (see GoodPracticeGuide:OmbudsmanVictoria’sguidetocomplaint

handling for Victorian public sector agencies).

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

The Department requires

all schools to develop a

policy and develop and

implement procedures

to effectively address

parents’ concerns

and complaints.

Section C: Advice for schools

when developing concerns and

complaints policy and procedures

School level policy and procedures are to be:

• developedandreviewedinconsultationwiththeschoolcommunity

• approvedbyschoolcouncil

• widelypromotedwithintheschoolcommunity.

This section contains advice that schools should use when developing their procedures,

based on the requirements in Ombudsman Victoria’s Complaint handling guide for the

Victorian public sector.

The advice includes:

• anintroductionexplainingtherequiredcontentforeachpoint

• informationwhichrestatestheDepartment’spolicy

• suggestedtextwhichaschoolcanadapttomeettheparticularcircumstancesand

requirements of the school and its community.

A template that schools can use when developing their policy and procedures is available at:

www.education.gov.au/about/contact/parent complaint.htm

It is suggested that the following areas are included.

Title

Involve the school community when deciding on a title for the procedures. For example, a

working title might be:

Raising concerns and complaints

The school’s values

Brieﬂy summarise relevant school values as they relate to addressing parent concerns

and complaints. For example:

The school’s approach to handling concerns and complaints is based on our values of:

• providingasafeandsupportivelearningenvironment

• buildingrelationshipsbetweenstudents,parentsandstaff

• providingasafeworkingenvironmentforstaff.

Concerns and complaints covered by the procedures

List the types of concerns and complaints covered by the procedures. For example:

These procedures cover concerns and complaints about:

• generalissuesofstudentbehaviourthatarecontrarytotheschool’scodeofconduct

• incidentsofbullyingorharassmentintheclassroomortheschoolyard

• learningprograms,assessmentandreportingofstudentlearning

• communicationwithparents

• schoolfeesandpayments

• generaladministrativeissues

• anyotherschool-relatedmattersexceptasdetailedbelow.

For more information, see

www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/www./html/93-complaint-handling-uide-for-

the-victorian-public-sector.asp

Include the Department’s policy about the scope of a school’s procedures to address concerns

and complaints. For example:

These procedures do not cover matters for which there are existing rights of review

or appeal, as detailed in the Victorian Government Schools Reference Guide.

Those matters include:

• studentdisciplinemattersinvolvingexpulsions

• complaintsaboutemployeeconductorperformanceandcomplaintsthatshouldbe

dealt with by performance management, grievance resolution or disciplinary action

• complaintsbytheDepartment’semployeesrelatedtotheiremployment

• studentcriticalincidentmatters

• othercriminalmatters.

Ownership and scope

Include the Department’s policy about how procedures to address concerns and complaints

will be developed. For example:

The school will develop its procedures to address concerns and complaints in collaboration

with parents and the school community.

Include information about any other complaints processes the school has, in addition

to these procedures. For example, the school might develop and publicise complaints

procedures for a speciﬁc area of operations that often attracts concerns or complaints, such

as a primary school’s placement of students in classes for the coming year. In that case, the

school’s procedures would include an explanation of how students will be placed and how

the school will report the outcome to parents.

State the date from which the procedures take effect. For example:

These procedures take effect from 1 January 2009.

Expectations

State the school’s expectations of the parent with a concern or complaint, and their

responsibilities. For example:

The school expects a person raising a concern or complaint to:

• dosopromptly,assoonaspossibleaftertheissueoccurs

• providecompleteandfactualinformationabouttheconcernorcomplaint

• maintainandrespecttheprivacyandcondentialityofallparties

• acknowledgethatacommongoalistoachieveanoutcomeacceptabletoallparties

• actingoodfaith,andinacalmandcourteousmanner

• showrespectandunderstandingofeachother’spointofviewandvaluedifference,

rather than judge and blame

• recognisethatallpartieshaverightsandresponsibilitieswhichmustbebalanced.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

Include the Department’s expectations of the school when addressing concerns

and complaints. For example:

The school will address any concerns and complaints received from parents:

• courteously

• efciently

• fairly

• promptly,orwithinthetimelineagreedwiththepersonwiththeconcernorcomplaint

• inaccordancewithdueprocess,principlesofnaturaljusticeandtheDepartment’s

regulatory framework.

Raising concerns or complaints

Include the Department’s policy for addressing concerns and complaints. For example:

In the ﬁrst instance, a complaint should be made to the school.

Specify the form in which a concern or complaint should be made and to whom it should

be made. For example:

The complainant should telephone, visit or write to:

• thestudent’steacherorhomegroupteacheraboutlearningissuesandincidentsthat

happened in their class or group

• theyearlevelcoordinatorifstudentsfromseveralclassesareinvolved

• theassistantprincipalaboutissuesrelatingtostaffmembersorcomplexstudentissues

• theprincipalaboutissuesrelatingtoschoolpolicy,schoolmanagement,staffmembers

or very complex student issues.

For contact details for any staff member, call the ofﬁce on (insert telephone number).

Provide a contact point for complainants who are unsure about the person they should

contact in the ﬁrst instance. For example:

If you are not sure who to contact, contact the Assistant Principal on (insert telephone

number).

Help with raising concerns or complaints

Personal support is most appropriate in situations where the complainant and others

involved in the complaint process have emotional issues related to the complaint.

Describe the resources available to students, parents, teachers and support staff involved in

addressing a concern or complaint. For example:

Complainants can seek the services of an advocate when they feel they are unable to

express their concern clearly. An advocate can be a friend or someone who is available

through an appropriate support organisation who does not receive a fee for service.

All parties involved in addressing a complaint may seek the services of a mediator when

there is difﬁculty coming to an agreement.

The school will ensure that the complainant is aware of these supports. A complainant who

wishes to use these support services should ensure the person addressing the concern or

complaint is aware of their intention and is in agreement.

Managing parent concerns

and complaints information

Include the Department’s policy about detailing concerns and complaints. For example:

The school should consider recording the following details of all complaints received, even

if the complaint appears to be minor:

• nameandcontactdetails(withpermission)ofthepersonwithaconcernorcomplaint

• thedatetheconcernwasexpressedorcomplaintmade

• theforminwhichtheconcernorcomplaintwasreceived(suchasface-to-face,by

telephone, in writing, by email)

• abriefdescriptionoftheconcernorcomplaint

• detailsoftheschoolofcerrespondingtotheconcernorcomplaint

• actiontakenontheconcernorcomplaint

• theoutcomeofactiontakenontheconcernorcomplaint

• anyrecommendationsforfutureimprovementintheschool’spolicyorprocedures.

However, in the ﬁrst instance, when the complaint is easily resolved in a telephone call, a

brief note in the school’s/principal’s/teacher’s diary recording the issue and the resolution

may be all that is required.

Describe the process by which the school will record concerns or complaints.

Addressing concerns or complaints

Include the Department’s policy for addressing concerns and complaints. For example:

The school will make every effort to resolve concerns and complaints before involving other

levels of the Department.

The school will give a complainant a copy of its complaints procedures.

The school will determine whether a concern or complaint should be managed through the

school’s concerns and complaints process or through other complaints processes of the

Department.

Describe the process by which the school will handle the concern or complaint. For example:

All complaints will be noted and acted on promptly by the staff member who receives the

complaint.

The school will acknowledge all complaints made in writing. It will provide the complainant

with a timeline for investigating the complaint.

The assistant principal will investigate all complaints and will provide a response to the

complainant.

Concerns and complaints about general school matters (such as the timing of events, school

policies and facilities) will be addressed by the principal or a relevant staff member.

State the timeframes within which the school will handle complaints. For example:

The school will make every attempt to resolve a concern or complaint as quickly as possible.

If your complaint involves many students and a range of issues, the school will need more

time to investigate and resolve it.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

Include the Department’s policy about timelines for complaints that escalate beyond

school level. For example:

Should the complaint involve complex issues, the school might need to take advice from the

Department’s regional ofﬁce which may take more time. The school will tell the complainant

the new timeline for addressing the complaint and the reasons for any delays. In all cases,

the school will try to resolve a concern or complaint within 20 school days.

Remedies

Explain the types of remedies the school would consider if it accepts a concern or complaint

is justiﬁed, and when the remedy will be implemented. For example:

If a concern or complaint is substantiated in whole or part, the school will offer an

appropriate remedy. For example, at its discretion and depending on the circumstances,

the school might offer:

• anexplanationorfurtherinformationabouttheissue

• mediation,counsellingorothersupport

• anapology,expressionofregretoradmissionoffault

• tochangeitsdecision

• tochangeitspolicies,proceduresorpractices

• tocanceladebt(suchasforschoolpayments)

• afeerefund.

The school will implement the remedy as soon as practicable.

Referral of concerns or complaints

Include the Department’s policy for referral of a complaint. For example:

If a person with a concern or complaint is not satisﬁed with the outcome determined by the

school, they should contact the Department’s appropriate regional ofﬁce.

The ofﬁcer from the region will ask the complainant for a complete and factual account in

writing of the concern or complaint and the complainant’s opinion about why the school

did not resolve it to their satisfaction.

If the complaint cannot be resolved by the complainant, school and regional ofﬁce working

together, the regional ofﬁce may refer it to the Department’s Group Coordination Division.

The Division will ask the complainant for a complete and factual account in writing of the

concern or complaint and the complainant’s opinion about why the school and regional

ofﬁce did not resolve it to their satisfaction and will ask the complainant to outline their

view on the course of action required to resolve the complaint. Where the complainant is

unable to provide a written account the ofﬁcer from Group Coordination Division should act

on the information provided.

Communication and training

Include the Department’s policy about communicating to parents and the school community.

For example:

The school will make information about procedures for addressing concerns and

complaints readily available to parents and the school community, in clear and easy-to-

understand language and, where appropriate, in a range of community languages and

formats that are accessible to everyone so that no-one is disadvantaged.

Include the information the Department expects a school to communicate:

The information will include:

• howapersoncanmakeacomplaint

• theperson’sresponsibilities

• informationtobeprovidedbytheperson

• whothepersonshouldcontactandtheircontactdetails

• theprocessandtimeframesformanagingcomplaints.

Indicate how the school will communicate its complaints procedures to parents and the

school community. For example:

The school’s procedures for addressing concerns and complaints will be:

• publishedontheschool’swebsite

• printedinaleaetgiventoaparentwhentheirchildenrols

• printedintheparent’shandbook

• printedintheschoolnewsletter

• publicisedonaposterdisplayedinpublicareasoftheschool.

Include a statement about training and support. For example:

The school will:

• briefallmembersofstaff(includingvolunteers)aboutitsprocedurestoaddress

concerns and complaints annually

• providestaffwith(orprovideaccessto)trainingandsupportappropriatetotheir

responsibilities under the procedures

• ensurestaffwhomanagecomplaintsdemonstratethepersonalattributesoutlined

in the GoodPracticeGuide:OmbudsmanVictoria’sguidetocomplainthandlingfor

Victorian public sector agencies.

Monitoring the parent complaints policy

Include a statement about how the school will monitor its policy and procedures. For example:

The school will monitor parent concerns and complaints and consider issues raised

through the parent complaints process, and any other relevant information from the

parent opinion survey, when undertaking a review of the school’s policies, procedures

and operations.

The school council will regularly review its policy and procedures to effectively address

parent concerns and complaints as part of its cyclic policy and procedures review scedule.

State how and when the school will review its reports of complaints and what the outcomes

of reviews will be. For example:

The school will review its information about complaints made over time to:

• identifycommonorrecurringissuesthatmayneedaddressing

• assesstheeffectivenessoftheseandotherproceduresandwhethertheyare

being followed

• useinformationprovidedtotheschoolthroughtheparentopinionsurveyonthe

views of parents.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

Section D: Guides

Introduction

These guides have been

prepared by the Ofﬁce

for Government School

Education, Department

of Education and Early

Childhood Development.

They provide practical

advice about issues to

consider when managing

parents’ concerns and

complaints.

There are 14 guides:

1. Building positive relationships

2. Dealing with a complainant

3. Improving your listening skills

4. Saying ‘yes’ and ‘no’ with conﬁdence

5. Understanding the blame cycle

6. Managing a request for an apology

7. Moving beyond a stalemate

8. Encouraging fair play in negotiations

9. Managing aggressive reactions

10. Managing unreasonable complainant conduct

11. Responding to strong emotions

12. Managing confrontation

13. Managing your anger

14. Being calm in a high-stress situation

These guides were originally developed by the South Australian Department of Education,

Training and Employment. They have been adapted for use in Victorian government schools

and are reproduced with permission.

Other resources

Many of the guides list further reading and other resources. You will also ﬁnd useful

information on the websites of:

• OmbudsmanVictorianatwww.ombudsman.vic.gov.au

• NewSouthWalesOmbudsmanatwww.nswombudsman.nsw.gov.au

• VictorianHealthServicesReviewCouncilatwww.health.vic.gov.au/hsc/resources/guide.htm

1. Building positive

relationships

The following tips will

help you build positive

relationships with

parents and the school

community, in which

power and decision-

making are shared.

Seek mutual respect

The unique relationship that a parent or teacher has with a child might at times lead to

differences of opinion as to what is best for the child. Both parties need to appreciate and

respect the special skills and insights that each brings to their relationships with a child.

Understand and appreciate each other’s perspective

If a child is hurt in the playground, or isn’t provided with correct information to make

career choices, it is natural for a parent to protect and defend their child. Teachers need to

appreciate the parent’s perspective and parents need to appreciate that the teacher wants to

protect the child too.

Use two-way communication

Tension in the parent/teacher relationship can arise when both parties are strongly

motivated to do the best for the child. The ability to voice differences of opinion, respectfully

and with understanding, indicates that the school community is working well together.

Set common goals

Most parents and teachers would agree that they want the best for the child. However,

in practice, either may sometimes ﬁnd themselves promoting a particular solution to the

exclusion of all else. A skilled facilitator can help bring both parties back to focusing on

common goals.

Have realistic expectations

If a teacher’s or the parents’ expectations are unrealistic, they will be dissatisﬁed with the

best efforts that the other party is able to make. Positive relationships are built when each

party is able to meet each other’s expectations.

Clarify responsibilities

Each staff member needs the knowledge and encouragement to:

• identifywhatparentsneed

• identifyifwhattheschoolprovidesismeetingparents’needs

• helpparentsndoutmoreaboutwhattheschoolhastooffertheirchildren.

Be positive

Principals can inspire positive talk about the school, from within the school, by:

• repeatedlyemphasisingtostaffthattheyareinuentialmembersofthecommunityand

ambassadors for their profession (people often judge the whole education profession by

the comments of just one teacher they know)

• highlightingthepositivethingsbeingdoneattheschool(teachingandsupportstaffoften

have little idea about the ﬁne work going on in other parts of the school)

• organisingstaffseminarsonpublicrelations(goodpublicrelationsareeverybody’sbusiness).

Reward those who talk positively. School leaders set the tone by giving compliments, passing

on the appreciation of others, commending ideas and acknowledging extra time freely given.

A major reason for job dissatisfaction is that staff don’t feel appreciated for what they do.

Other resources

The Schools Communications Toolkit is designed to stimulate and encourage schools to

consider different approaches to communication planning. It is available at

www.education.

vic.gov.au/management/schooloperations/commstoolkit.htm

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

2. Dealing with a

complainant

The following tips will help

you negotiate an outcome

with the complainant that

meets all needs.

Value complaints

Complaints are an important way for the community to provide information and feedback to

a school.

Complaints —as well as praise — provide valuable feedback about how well you and the

school are meeting parents’ needs. The complainant is inviting the school to enter into a

problem-solving process to ﬁnd a solution. Often, if the complainant’s emotional investment

is high, the complaint can come across as a demand.

Make the ﬁrst contact count

The complainant’s ﬁrst contact with the school can be the most important. They will be more

satisﬁed if their concerns are dealt with by the ﬁrst person they talk to, without having to

re-explain their situation over and over.

On the ﬁrst contact:

• listentothecomplainantcarefullyandwithanopenmind

• treatthemwithrespectandcourtesy,takethemseriouslyandletthemhavetheirsay

• makeitclearthatthecomplaintwillbetakenseriously

• explaintheproceduresforresolvingcomplaints

• statewhatyoucando,notwhatyoucannotdo

• ndoutthenatureofthecomplaint

• takenotes

• ifthecomplaintinvolvescomplexissueswhicharedifcultforyoutounderstandonrst

hearing, ask the complainant to put the complaint in writing

• makeamutuallyconvenienttimetomeet,ifameetingisrequired.

Summarise the ﬁrst contact with the complainant. For example:

Thank you for the information. We have agreed that both you and the principal can meet on

(the agreed date). Let me check that I’ve got the key issues you’d like to discuss. With your

permission, I’ll write them down so that you don’t need to explain your position again.

he great majority of complaints are by nature concerned enquiry with no hostility intended.

However, you should be prepared for the occasional instance of aggression. Guide 12:

Managing confrontation in this document has tips to help you take control of situations

where the complainant is being confrontational.

Discuss the complaint with the complainant

When it comes to discussing the substance of the complaint with the complainant:

• givethecomplainantyournameandrefertothembyname

• letthecomplainantdecidewhetherthematterisreallyanenquiry,aconcernora

complaint

• keepthediscussiontorelevantissues

• checkthefactstomakesuretheyareclearandbeyonddoubt

• checkanyassumptionsyoumighthavemadebyaskingquestions

• don’tformanopinionbeforehearingallsidesofthestory.

If you are unsure about what should have happened, refer to relevant policies and

documented processes.

Work through a problem-solving process to arrive at mutually acceptable solutions based

on meeting the needs of all parties. Be clear about what solutions you can actually offer.

Sometimes an outcome might be non-negotiable.

Explain what will happen next and what steps and support are available.

Follow-up

The complainant with a particularly complex complaint should be followed up. It is important

to keep lines of communication open after the initial discussion. Discuss how actions that

have been mutually agreed will be followed up by both parties, and how any changes will be

maintained. Discussion needs to focus on learning rather than attributing blame.

Make sure written responses address all of the issues, contain correct information and use

plain language.

Keep everyone who is involved informed of the progress and outcome of the complaint.

Follow the requirements of your school’s procedure to fully record the details of concerns

and complaints.

Adapted from material published by the Western Australia Department of Education and Training.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

3. Improving your

listening skills

The following tips will

help you improve your

listening skills so that

you better understand

the complainant’s issues,

perspective and feelings

and can also make them

feel they are being heard.

Things to try

• Focusyourattentiontotallyonthepersonandconcentratefullyonwhattheyaresaying.

• Repeatconversationallyandtentatively,inyourownwords,yourunderstandingofthe

person’s meaning.

• Givefeedbackonfeelingsaswellascontentbyaskingquestions(asappropriate),suchas,

‘How do you feel about that?’ or ‘How did that affect you?’.

• Repeatinformationandgivefeedbacktoshowthatyouunderstandandtoenablethe

speaker to hear and understand their meaning.

• Ifyourfeedbackisnotwellreceived,onlytryagainifyoucandosowithtactand

understanding.

• Beasaccurateinyoursummaryoftheirmeaningaspossible.

• Challengefeelingsofpowerlessnessandhopelessnesssubtly.Forexample,iftheysay,

‘It is hopeless’, you might ask them, ‘It seems hopeless to you right now?’. If they say,

‘There’s nothing I can do’, you could question, ‘You can’t ﬁnd anything that will help ﬁx the

problem?’.

• Allowsilencesintheconversation.

• Peoplewillsometimesindicateashiftintheirattitudebychangingtheirbodyposition.A

good response to such a body shift is to wait, then suggest, ‘How does it all seem to you

now?’.

Things to avoid

• Avoidtalkingaboutyourself.

• Don’trespondwithyourownreactionsormakewell-intentionedcomments.

• Don’tignoreordismisstheperson’sfeelings.

• Avoidadvising,diagnosing,baiting,reassuring,encouragingorcriticising.

• Avoidthinkingaboutwhatyouwillsaynext:thinkaboutwhattheyaresaying.

• Avoidparrotingtheperson’swordsoronlysaying‘mmm’or‘ahhah’.

• Don’tpretendthatyouhaveunderstoodifyouhaven’t(askforclarication).

• Avoidlettingthepersondrifttolesssignicanttopicsbecauseyouhaven’tshownyouhave

understood.

• Avoidxing,changingorimprovingwhatthespeakerhassaid.

• Don’tchangetopics.

• Resistllingeveryspacebytalking.

• Don’tneglectthenon-verbalcontentoftheconversation.

4. Saying ‘yes’ and

‘no’ with conﬁdence

The following tips will

help you say ‘no’, which

is sometimes the most

useful response but

something that many

people ﬁnd hard to do.

Why we have difﬁculties saying ‘no’

Our belief system: We believe that saying ‘no’ is selﬁsh and uncooperative so we tend to

feel guilty when we do it.

Personal needs: We enjoy the feeling of being wanted and needed that requests

(even unreasonable ones) bring and answering ‘yes’ will usually get a response that

satisﬁes our need to be liked.

Lack of skills and experience saying ‘no’: We don’t know how to say ‘no’ assertively.

We weren’t taught to say ‘no’ in ways that don’t hurt the feelings of others.

We weren’t taught to value saying ‘no’.

Our perception of our work role: We have a belief that as we are paid to do our job,

we should try and ﬁx problems and satisfy parents, students and other stakeholders.

‘The customer is always right’ easily translates to, ‘People might see me as incompetent

if I can’t provide the solution they want’.

It serves the purpose of distracting us from other tasks: Time allocated to trying to meet

unreasonable needs is time that can’t be spent on something we can’t or don’t want to do.

To avoid potential confrontations: Very few people enjoy a confrontation and the path of

least resistance can be to avoid saying ‘no’.

Good reasons for saying ‘no’

A good role model: You will be a good role model for other staff members. When you turn

down a person you are indicating that it is acceptable for them to occasionally refuse you and

that your relationship isn’t based on saying ‘yes’ all the time.

Increased respect: You will be respected more. So will others including, more often than

not, the people you turn down.

Increases creativity: When you say ‘no’, you encourage others to come up with their own

creative solutions.

More control over your time: You will have more control over your time and therefore

your life. Until you have trained yourself away from the habit of saying ‘yes’ too often,

other people will have more control over your time than you will. That leads to you feeling

powerless, or at least less powerful.

Seven points to remember

• Whenyousay‘no’youarerefusingarequest,notrejectingaperson.Saying‘no’doesnot

mean a rejection. Much depends on the way you refuse.

• Whenmakingarefusal,acceptfullresponsibilityfordoingso.Don’tblameorpassthe

buck. Unless it is outside your power or ability to say ‘yes’, don’t say ‘I can’t’ when you

mean ‘I don’t won’t to’.

• Saying‘no’doesnotneedexcessiveapologyorexcuse,althoughyoumaychoosetomake

some explanation. Ask yourself whether you are explaining because you are anxious or to

provide information to support your refusal.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

• Youmaybeoverestimatingthedifcultythecomplainantwillhaveinacceptingyour

refusal. Very often if you express your feelings openly and honestly you allow other people

to express themselves.

• Ifyousaid‘yes’butwantedtosay‘no’,itcanshow.Headaches,grimacesandmuscle

tension can all result from the stress caused by being over compliant.

• Acknowledgeyourfeelings.Asimplestatementlike‘Indthisdifcult’allowsyouto

express your feelings honestly.

• Ifthecomplainantishavingdifcultyacceptingyour‘no’,usethebroken-recordtechnique.

Repeat your assertive refusal, couched in slightly different ways, each time the other

person tries to persuade or evade you.

Setting limits

• Ifyouareuncertainabouthowtorespondtoarequest,saying‘letmegetbacktoyou’will

give you time to consider whether:

– the request is within the school’s policy and priorities, and Departmental values

– school personnel have the time and resources to accomplish what is being asked

– the request risks the safety and wellbeing of staff or compromises their duty of care to

students

– the complainant can get help from a more appropriate source. For example the principal,

regional ofﬁce or central ofﬁce

How to make saying ‘no’ easier

• Keepyourreplyshort.

• Giveareasonforrefusingtherequest.

• Avoid‘Ican’t…’phraseswhichsoundlikeexcuses.

• Ifyougenuinelyneedit,askformoretimetodecideontherequest.

• Don’tbeabruptinyourrefusal.

• Leaduptothe‘no’withapreliminarystatementsuchas,‘Thismaybedifcultforyou…’.

• Explainthefactsandtherationaleforthedecision.

• Provideanalternativecourseofactionifpossible.

• Allowthecomplainanttohavesomecontrol,suchasinthewaythedecisionis

announced or timed.

• Askforimmediatefeedbackaboutyourrefusal.

• Bepreparedtolistentodefendingcomplaints.

• Offersoothingwordssuchas,‘Iknowthisseemsharshorsuddentoyou.’

• Suggestanothermeetingifnecessaryafterthepersonhashadtimetodigesttherefusal.

When you have to say ‘yes’

• Tellthecomplainantyoucanagreetotheirrequestthistime,andaskhowthetwoofyou

might plan things better if there was a next time.

• Tellthem‘yes’andsetlimitsaboutwhenyoucanreasonablydeliver.

• Putaconditiononyouragreement.Forexample,‘Icantalktoyouforanhourattwo

o’clock, but I have a class scheduled at three o’clock.’

5. Understanding

the blame cycle

The following tips will help

you understand the ‘blame cycle’

and focus on problems and

how to solve them.

The blame cycle

Being under extreme pressure can make a person angry, judgemental, fearful, self-righteous

or revengeful. They might ﬁnd themself believing that other people are badly intended or

lack ability, and wanting to blame (and punish) anyone and everything. They might also

try to cover their actual or perceived mistakes because they don’t want to take the risk of

being seen as performing inadequately. In the circumstances, things can quickly become

personalised and blame and ill feeling develop into a self-perpetuating cycle.

Blaming might appeal as a quick ﬁx but it creates bad feelings, undermines everyone’s

willingness to work together and can perpetuate difﬁculties rather than address them.

What you can do

• Appreciateandremindyourselfthatothersareactingrationally,astheyseeit.

• Remember:Mostpeopleactwiththebestintentionsandtheiractionsarereectiveofthe

pressures they are under and the experience and the information they have.

• Realisethatyourbehaviourmaybeinuencingthecomplainant’sbehaviourandhaving

unintended effects. It may be that in justifying your own actions you are discounting

the action of others.

• Askyourselfquestionsratherthanmakejudgements.Youmightaskyourself:

– What information am I missing that would help me understand this person’s behaviour?

– How might this behaviour make sense?

– What pressures are they under?

– What structures or systems might be inﬂuencing their behaviour?

• Reectonanyangeryoumightfeelandtryandturnthesedestructivethoughtsand

feelings into constructive things. You might ask yourself:

– What am I learning about myself in this situation?

– What do my feelings remind me of?

– What new behaviours or thoughts does this situation require that might be difﬁcult for me?

How a coach could help

• Enlistthesupportofacoach(suchasatrustedfriendorpeer)whocanhelpyoutoclarify

your concerns by discussing with you questions such as:

– What results do you want from the situation?

– What is another way of explaining the complainant’s actions?

– How might the complainant describe the situation?

– What was your role in creating the situation?

– What requests or concerns do you need to bring to the complainant?

– How will you state them to get the result you want?

– What do you think you are learning as you work through this situation?

• Letyourcoachknowwhathappenedasaresultofthecoachingandworkthroughwhat

worked and what didn’t.

• Don’tmakenegativecommentsorgossipaboutthecomplainant.Yourcoachistheonly

person you should conﬁde in.

Other resources

Better Health Channel, Assertiveness at: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.

nsf/pages/Assertiveness

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

6. Managing a

request for an

apology

The following tips will

help you manage a

request for an apology.

Parents who make a complaint may ask for an apology. If both parties recognise each other’s

rights and responsibilities and want a ‘win-win’ outcome, an apology alone may resolve the

complaint. Where it does not, it can reduce tension and pave the way for maintaining and

repairing relationships. However, if the apology is given in a way that results in the recipient

seeing it as a defeat, the apology can backﬁre and escalate a conﬂict.

What to ask yourself

• Whatspecicallyistheparentseekingtheapologyfor?Forexample,aretheyaskingmeto

apologise for the actions of someone else or for something that I did?

• Isourrelationshiptooadversarialorthedifferencestoogreatforthepersontoacceptmy

apology as sincere?

• Istheliabilitytoogreatformetoofferanapology?

• Wouldanapologybemorebenecialatsomefuturetimeandafteraprocessofdispute

resolution?

• Wouldapologisingatthisstagebetoopersonallyhumiliatingforme?

• Willtheotherpersonaccepttheapologywithgoodgrace?

• ShouldIasksomeoneelsetoapologiseonmybehalf?

• Willtheotherpersoninterprettheapologyasasignofweakness,defeatandadmissionof

total responsibility and try to use it to win over me, rather than us winning together?

Features of an effective apology

• Aspecicstatementoftheactionorinactionthatbothpartiesagreeledtotherequestfor

anapology.Forexample,‘WeagreethatIdidn’ttakeintoaccounttheviewsof…’.

• Anacknowledgementbythepersonmakingtheapologyoftheirresponsibilityand

accountability.Forexample,‘InowrecognisethatIshouldhave…’

• Anacknowledgementofthemotivationofthepersonaskingfortheapology,whichdoes

not necessarily name the motivation nor imply that the motivation is typical, mature or

appropriate. The acknowledgement can just state the fact that the motivation existed. For

example, ‘I now know that receiving a prompt reply is important to you’.

• Adirectself-judgement.Sayingthingslike,‘Iwasinsensitive’or‘WhatIdidwaswrong’can

help to establish common ground with the person receiving the apology.

• Astatementofregret,suchas‘Iamsorry’.Thisindicatesthatthepersonmakingthe

apology takes responsibility for having acted wrongly or for hurting the other person.

• Anexplanationofwhythepersonmakingtheapologydidwhattheydid.Theexplanation

must not intend to be (or sound) self-serving and must not blame another person. For

example, ‘I was very concerned about the student’s welfare’ presents a point of view that

everyone can share.

Making the apology

• Matchhowtheapologyiscommunicated(forexample,thebodylanguageandtoneof

voice used) in the message.

• Ifyouarelikelytointeractwiththeotherpersoninfuture,youbothshoulddiscusshowto

prevent conﬂict from arising in future and how any future conﬂict will be handled.

7. Moving beyond

a stalemate

The following steps will

help you recognise and

address a stalemate.

Step 1: Recognise a situation that is not reaching resolution

Ask yourself the following questions about the situation. This will help you form a view on

whether the situation is likely to be resolved in the short term.

Time

• Hasthesituationcontinuedforlongerthananyonewouldhavereasonablyexpected?

• Aremeetingsbecominglong-windedandnotleadingtoclearconclusions?

Blaming and secrets

• Isthefocusonpeople’swrongdoingsratherthanontheproblem?

• Isinformationbeingwithheldfromanyofthepartiesinvolvedinthecomplaint?

• Aresub-groupsformingagainstothers?

• Isgossipincreasing?

Intense or uncomfortable emotions

• Isthesituationdominatingyourthoughts,timeandenergy?

• Arefeelingsmoreintenseoruncomfortablethanyouwould

normally expect from any of the parties involved in the complaint?

• Arebehavioursout-of-character?

Resistance and motivation

• Isthereamarkedlackofmotivationonthepartofparticularstakeholderstoreachgoalsor

try anything different?

• Doesthecomplainantappeartopersistentlyreject,ignoreoropposesuggestedremedies

over a long period of time?

• Doestheiradvocateargueatlengthordissuadethemfromacceptingsuggestions?

Contradictory information

• Doanyofthepartiesinvolvedinthecomplaintrepeatedlysuggestinformationorgive

opinions which are contrary to the suggested goals?

Same solution tried repeatedly

• Arethesolutionsaskedforbythecomplainantrepetitious?

• Hasthesamekindofsolutionbeentriedmorethanonce?

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

Step 2: Evaluate your part in the conﬂict

If the situation is moving towards a stalemate, the following questions will help you honestly

examine whether you are doing your utmost to resolve it.

• Areyouusingyourpowerappropriately?Forexample,doesthesituationrequire‘power

over’ the person (by enforcing Departmental requirements) or ‘power with’ the person (by

helping them have more of a say, and by listening to what they say)?

• Haveyoutriedbuildingempathywiththecomplainant?Forexample,haveyoutriedseeing

the situation from the complainant’s point of view?

• Haveyoucommunicatedyourperspective,needsandconcernsclearly?Forexample,are

you talking in generalities or are you providing speciﬁc and objective information?

• Areyoudictatingsolutions?Orareyouexploringtheperson’sneeds,usingwordssuchas

‘could’ rather than ‘should’, and together arriving at solutions?

• Haveyouconsideredyourlanguageandhowthepersonmightbeinterpretingit?For

example, do you start your sentences with ‘You should’ or ‘I feel’? One is demanding

behaviour change, the other is offering a preferred action and explaining its impact on you

and others. Do you say what you can’t do, rather than focusing on what you can do?

• Areyouaddingtooptionsbyusingwordslike‘and’orareyouappearingtodismiss

possibilities by using words like ‘but’?

• Doyouholdbeliefsthatleadtoabrickwallortoaresolution?Forexample,doyou

say to yourself:

– ‘I just can’t get anywhere with some people’ or ‘I can get somewhere with almost

anyone’?

– ‘This is just the way it is’ or ‘There are other ways’?

– ‘Life and its difﬁculties are just too complex to solve’ or ‘It’s possible to solve problems.

We can handle the complexities of life’?

– ‘Things don’t work out’ or ‘Many things do work’?

Step 3: Explore barriers to further discussion

Consider whether the complainant has been backed into a corner. Is there something you can

do to help them save face?

Identify areas of misinterpretation (for example, objectives, motives, points of view, values,

feelings, requirements, outcomes, needs and concerns). How can these be clariﬁed and any

misinterpretation overcome?

Consider your relationship with the complainant. Can you develop a relationship of greater

trust independent of solving the problem?

Step 4: Address emotions to move towards resolution

In some cases, the best solution for a persistently complaining parent might be no solution.

Their personal and psychological needs might be better met by persistent complaining than

by resolution. A need for power, for attention, for revenge, for belonging or for achievement

might motivate a person to keep complaining. They might have a high investment in being

right, in having the ﬁnal say or in ﬁnancial compensation. If this is the case, there has to be

greater beneﬁt for the person in changing than in not changing.

Despite your best efforts you may be powerless to make a difference without addressing

what is motivating such a person to keep complaining.

A counsellor, senior staff member from the regional ofﬁce or a peer could help you to

identify their motivations and to resolve the situation. Or you might consider stepping

back both physically and emotionally. You might ask a senior staff member from the

regional ofﬁce to chair meetings or act as a mediator. Or you might choose to use an

external (outside the school system) and impartial review or mediation process to

develop a way forward that both parties see as having no vested interest in the result.

Other resources

The Victorian Department of Justice’s Dispute Settlement Centre helps individuals resolve

a variety of common disputes. Further information is at www.justice.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/

connect/DOJ+Internet/Home/The+Justice+System/Disputes/

This guide was adapted from R Gaspari’s, Dispute resolution one day program for South

Australian leaders prepared for the

South Australian Centre for Leaders in Education Network

community-based project 1999.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

8. Encouraging fair

play in negotiations

The following steps will help

you negotiate a satisfactory

resolution for all parties in

cases where some people

aren’t playing fair.

Step 1: Respond, don’t react

• Manageyouremotionsandbuytimebyusingpowerbreathing(asexplainedinguides12

and 14)

• Whenconfrontedwithaccusations,attacks,threatsorultimatums,don’ttakethebaitbut

let them pass.

• Don’tletyourselfbecomedefensive.Remainexibleandopeninyourthinking.

• Insteadofgettingmadoreven,focusonwhatyouwanttohavehappen.

• Makeitpossiblefortheotherpersontobackdownwithoutfeelinghumiliated.For

example,youcouldsay,‘Well,itnowlookslikethingsaren’tquiteastheyrstseemed…’.

Step 2: Step to one side

• Ifthereistension,trytodisarmitbyclearlyappearingtolisten.

• Agreewithasmuchofwhatisbeingsaidasyoufeelgenuinelyabletodo.

• Takeabreak,changelocationorseatingarrangementsinordertochangethedynamicofa

particular situation.

• Callforthemeetingtoendnowandresumelater,givingallpartiestheopportunityfor

reﬂection.

Step 3: Find options and move to the positive

• Rejectingthepositionofapersonwithacomplaintusuallyonlyreinforcesit.Instead,

direct attention to meeting the needs of each party. For example, you could say, ‘One view

isthat…;anotherviewisthat….Bothviewpointshavetheirmerits.Howcanwework

together to incorporate the best aspects of both views?’.

• Askopen-endedquestionswhichincreasetheoptionsandmovetothepositive.For

example,‘Whatwouldbehappeningin…classifthingswereworkingbetter?’.

Step 4: Identify unfair tactics

• Namethebehaviourasatactic.Forexample,‘Couldcallingthepressaboutthisbeaway

of indicating that you believe things could have been done differently?’.

• Explainhowthetacticshavemadeyoufeel.Forexample,‘Ifeltfrustratedthatwehadn’t

had the chance to consider all possible ways of dealing with this issue before the press put

their interpretation on it.’.

• Addressthemotiveforusingthetactic.Forexample,‘Coulditbethatyouhopedto

embarrass the school into doing something different?’.

Step 5: Refocus on the issue

• Maintaintherelationshipandtrytoresolvetheissue.Forexample,‘Weareallobviously

concernedfor…’swelfare’.

• Summarisewhatyoubelievetobethecommongroundandwhathasbeenagreed.For

example,‘Wehaveagreedthat…’.

• Dividetheissueintoparts.Forexample,‘Wehavediscussedtheissuesaroundhomework

and they seem to relate to three areas:

– ﬁrstly, there are differing views about the importance of homework

– secondly, there is confusion over the amount of homework the teacher expects

– thirdly, you don’t know if you can help your daughter with her maths homework’.

• Addressthelessdifcultissuesrst.Forexample,‘Let’sstartbytalkingabouttheschool’s

homework policy’.

• Introducesomebargainingsuchas‘ifyouwill,Iwill’agreements.Forexample,‘Ifyou

are able to send a note to the teacher each Friday with any questions you need answered

about the week’s homework, I’ll ensure the teacher responds to you each Monday’.

• Tryforagreementinprinciple.Forexample,‘Wehaveagreedthathomeworkisan

important part of the learning program and we will continue to work together on

addressing the details’.

Other resources

Department of Education, Training and Employment,

Making positive choices: psychological

health for worksites

, DETE South Australia, 1999

Hollier F, Murray K & Cornelius H,

Conﬂict resolution; Trainers Manual; 12 skills

, The Conﬂict

Resolution Network, 1993 (PO Box 1016 Chatswood, NSW)

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

9. Managing

aggressive reactions

The following tips will help

you deal with complaintants

whose approach is

aggressive.

Use these tips before the level of emotional intensity has risen or after it has dropped. Often the

complainant

will indicate their readiness to start engaging in a more constructive dialogue by

sighing or shifting position.

Persist

• Usethebrokenrecordtechnique.Repeatwhatyouhavesaidwithoutaddingfurther

argument or reason. For example:

– ‘We need to discuss this away from the children. Please come with me to my ofﬁce’ or

– ‘We need to talk about this in my ofﬁce away from the children’ or

– ‘My ofﬁce is this way. We can continue this conversation away from the children’.

Emphasise your feelings

• Emphasisetheimportanceofthesubjecttoyoupersonally.Forexample,‘Iamworried

about this allegation and I’d like to start sorting it out now’.

Acknowledge and continue

• Acknowledgetheirconcernsbutdon’tletthediscussionstopthere:continueimmediately

towards a solution. For example, ‘Yes, I know it is an unsatisfactory situation for you, and I

wouldprefer…’.

• Asintheexampleabove,use‘and’ratherthan‘but’.Ifyouuse‘but’,thelistenerinvariably

hears only that part of the sentence that follows the ‘but’. They might interpret what you

are saying as a demand, increasing the likelihood of a defensive reaction.

Ask open questions to explore possibilities

• Forexample:

– ‘What would we need to do to improve the current situation?’

– ‘How do you think we could satisfy your son’s needs?’

– ‘What would you like to see happen as a result of our discussion?’

Disagree if necessary

• Sayifyoudon’tagreewithapointbeingmade,buttrytoestablishareasofagreement.For

example:

– ‘Idon’tseethesituationlikethat…Ithinkwebothagreethat…’.

Reschedule

• Rescheduleifnecessarytoensurethereisadequatetimetodiscusstheissues.

Rescheduling may also help to defuse the situation. For example:

– ‘There is a better time to discuss this issue in the detail required. When do you have an

hour we can both set aside?’

Follow-up

• Afteranysituationmarkedbyaggression,awkwardnessoruncertainty,takethetimeto

follow up with a letter, brief note or phone call. This is likely to make further interactions

with the people involved smoother.

Other resources

Converge International provides the Department’s Employee Assistance Program – a short-

term, solution-focused counselling service. You can contact them on 1800 337 068. Further

details are at

www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/ohs/health/morale.htm

Better Health Channel, Workplace conﬂict at www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/

bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Workplace_conﬂict

10. Managing

unreasonable

complainant

conduct

The following tips

will help you identify

and deal with

unreasonable conduct

by a complainant.

While the majority of parents have legitimate concerns and genuinely seek resolution, a

small proportion of complainants demonstrate unreasonable concerns and unreasonable

and uncooperative behavior. A complainant with unreasonable conduct can be unusually

persistent, pursue complaints for longer, supply more written material, telephone more

often and for longer, and require more meetings. They are often still complaining after the

complaint is closed. Such complainants sometimes want what a complaint handling system

cannot provide – vindication, retribution and revenge.

There are ﬁve types of unreasonable conduct:

• unreasonablepersistence

• unreasonabledemands

• unreasonablelackofcooperation

• unreasonablearguments

• unreasonablebehaviour.

Action to manage unreasonable complainant conduct must be based on the clear

understanding that:

• unlessthereareextremelygoodreasonsotherwise,allmembersoftheschoolcommunity

have a right to make a complaint or raise a concern

• everycomplainantdeservestobetreatedwithrespect

• everycomplainant,regardlessofhowmuchtimeandeffortisrequiredtorespondtotheir

complaint, should have their complaint properly considered

• thecomplaintofacomplainantwhoseconductisunreasonableshouldbeconsideredas

legitimate until proved otherwise

• thesubstanceofacomplaintshoulddictatethelevelofresourcesallocatedtoit,notthe

complainant’s wishes, demands or behaviour.

Unreasonable persistence

Unreasonable persistence is often characterised by the complainant:

• persistingeventhoughthecomplainthasbeencomprehensivelyaddressed

• reframingthecomplaint

• demandingareviewofthecomplaint

• makinganissueoutoftrivialthings,repeatadly.

The following tips — based on saying ‘no’ — will help you deal with unreasonable

persistence.

• Communicateclearly.

• Ifafterinvestigatingthecomplaintthereisnothingfurtheryoucando,andnoresolution

has been reached, or mutally agreed remedy, escalate the complaint to the regional ofﬁce

in line with Departmental policy.

• Whereappropriate,makeitclearthattherewillbenofurthercorrespondenceorcontact

with the school about the complaint.

• Donotallowthecomplainanttoreframethecomplainttorestarttheprocess.

• Endphonecallsthatareunproductive.

• Asserttheschool’sposition.Forexample,youmightsay,‘Iacknowledgethatyourviewis

different;however,theschoolpolicyis…’.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

Unreasonable demands

Unreasonable demands are often characterised by the complainant:

• insistingonunattainableoutcomes

• insistingonamoraloutcomeforexample,justiceinthecommunityinterest,whenreallya

personal interest is at stake

• wantingrevengeorretribution

• makingdemandsaboutthewaythecomplaintshouldbehandled

• providingextraordinarydetailwhichisnotrelevanttothecomplaint

• wantingregularandlengthyphonecontact

• movingthegoalposts

• creatingcomplexitywhenthereisnone.

The following tips — based on setting limits — will help you deal with unreasonable demands:

• Letthecomplainantknowabouttheschool’sconcernsandcomplaintsprocedures;

that is, have a plan and stick to it.

• Makeitclearthattheschoolwilldecidehowthecomplaintwillbehandled.

• Clarifythelimitationsoftheconcernsandcomplaintsprocedures.

• Avoidbeingdrawnintounproductiveargumentsandpersonalattacks.

• Restrictcontacttodenedtimesandstaffmemberswherenecessary.

• Respondonlytoemailsandlettersaddressedtotheschooldirectly.Donotrespond

to mail where the school is copied in.

• Limitcontacttowritingonly.

• Donotdothingsforanunreasonablydemandingcomplainantjusttoappeasethemthat

the school would not normally do for any other complainant.

• Asalastresort,informthecomplainantthattheschoolndstheirapproach

unreasonable and set terms and conditions for further contact.

Unreasonable lack of cooperation

Unreasonable lack of cooperation is often characterised by the complainant:

• presentingalargequantityofinformationthatisnotorganised

• presentinginformationindribsanddrabs,orwithholdinginformation

• refusingtodenetheissuesunderlyingthecomplaint

• focusingonprinciplesratherthanissues

• changingthecomplaint.

The following tips — based on setting conditions — will help you deal with unreasonable

lack of cooperation.

• Wheretheyarecapableofdoingso,requirecomplainantstoorganiseorsummarisetheir

supporting information before you will consider the complaint. Make it clear that the

school will not look at the complaint until they present all the required information.

• Requirecomplainantstoclearlydenewhattheirissuesare.

• Terminateconsiderationofthecomplaintifitisestablishedthatthecomplainanthas

been misleading or untruthful.

Unreasonable arguments

Unreasonable arguments are characterised by the complainant:

• advancingirrationalbeliefs(suchasseeingcauseandeffectlinkswherethereareclearlynone)

• advancingandstickingtowhatisclearlyaconspiracytheoryunsupportedbyevidence

• insistingthataparticularsolutionisthecorrectone

• insistingontheimportanceofanissuethatisclearlytrivial.

Unreasonable arguments are best countered by declining or discontinuing the school’s

involvement. A groundless complaint should be declined at the outset, or discontinued as

soon as it becomes clear that it is groundless.

Where unreasonable and reasonable arguments are mixed together, the school should refuse

to consider the unreasonable arguments.

Unreasonable behaviour

Unreasonable behaviour is when the complainant:

• isveryrudeoraggressive,makesthreatsorharassesothers

• sendsrude,confrontingorthreateningletters

• makesthreatstoharmthemselvesorothers

• isverymanipulative(suchasoverlyingratiating,criesasatacticormakesveiledor

implied threats).

Unreasonable behaviour requires the school to have risk management protocols to deal with

aggression, anger and threats of harm that are made in writing, by telephone or in person;

and to set limits and conditions.

The following tips will help you deal with unreasonable behaviour:

• Returnlettersthatuserudeorintemperatelanguageandaskthecomplainanttorestate

their complaint in more moderate language.

• Endatelephonecallorinterviewifthecomplainantengagesinunreasonablebehaviour.If

the complainant wants further contact, specify your expectations of reasonable behaviour.

When a complainant uses threatening or violent behaviour all Departmental employees

should follow the ‘Occupational Violence Policy’, available at:

http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.

au/hrweb/ohs/other/DETpub.htm

Other resources

Unreasonable complainant conduct: interim practice manual. A joint project of the Australian

ParliamentaryOmbudsman,AustralianParliamentaryOmbudsman,August2007available

under Complaint handling guide for the Victorian public sector at:

www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au

Additional information can also be obtained from the Victorian Government Schools Reference

Guide,section6.16.11:Optionsfordealingwithtrespassersandviolenceinschools.

The information in this guide was adapted from Unreasonable complaint conduct: interim

practicemanual,AustralianParliamentaryOmbudsman, August 2007.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

11. Responding to

strong emotions

The following tips will

help you deal positively

with the difﬁcult emotions

of complainants and avoid

defensive responses.

• Receive: Listen and say nothing for the moment. Give the complainant room to express

their emotions. Respect the complainant’s communication of their feelings.

•

Notice: Observe your own reaction to the person’s expression of their emotions.

•

Centre: Tune into yourself. Breathe deeply.

•

Listen again: Ask yourself what you are picking up from what the person is saying.

Separate their feelings from the content. Do not react emotionally to accusations aimed at

you personally.

•

Reﬂect back: Summarise what you believe to be the person’s main points of concern and

how they are feeling.

•

Clarify and explore: Identify precisely what it is the person needs or is concerned about.

Think about what is behind the words they are using. Ask questions that shift the focus

from their anger to exploring the issues.

•

Repeat the cycle: Ensure that feelings and facts are mutually understood.

Other resources

Better Health Channel, Negative emotions – coping tips, at: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/

bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Negative_emotions_coping_tips

Better Health Channel, Assertiveness, at: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.

nsf/pages/Assertiveness

12. Managing

confrontation

The following tips will

help you take control

of a situation where

the complainant is

being confrontational.

Stay calm by practising S-T-O-P

Signal: take note of your body’s early warning signs of tension (such as shallow breathing

and throat tightness).

Take control through power breathing:

• takeadeepbreaththroughyournostrils.Dothiswithoutexertionandwithoutraisingyour

shoulders or pufﬁng out your cheeks

• holdthebreathforasecond

• pushthebreathintotheextremitiesofyourbody(skull,handsandfeet)

• slowlybreatheoutthroughyourlips

• breatheinandoutafewtimes,smoothingouttheinhalationandexhalationtoexperience

an unbroken inﬂow and outﬂow of air

• asyoubreatheout,feelthetensionmeltingfromyourbodyintotheoorthroughthesoles

of your feet.

Opposite: a habitual response under tension is to tighten up our muscles and to negatively

self-talk, ‘Oh no!’. The opposite response is to breathe deeply and smoothly and to say to

yourself, ‘calm, in control’.

Practise: a good time to practise is just before an appointment you think might be

confrontational.

Let the complainant have their say

Actively listen: let the complainant know you are listening by using appropriate verbal and

non-verbal cues.

Don’t interrupt: an interruption will only lead to the complainant starting at the

beginning again.

Listen for the sigh: don’t move to developing options until the complainant has indicated

a readiness and willingness to engage. One way they might do this is with a sigh, and by

dropping their shoulders.

Deal with the complainant’s emotions

Acknowledge emotions: acknowledging the complainant’s emotions helps make them feel

valued, and helps develop a partnership with them.

Restate content and emotion: let the complainant know you heard them by paraphrasing

what they said and expressed.

Be empathetic: show that you understand and are sensitive to the complainant’s feelings,

thoughts and experiences. This is not necessarily the same as sharing those feelings or

agreeing with the complainant’s position.

Identify underlying needs and concerns: clearly identify the real problem and make the

problem — not the person — the problem.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

Respond to criticism non-defensively

Acknowledge any truth in a concern or complaint: accept that there may be some truth to

criticism of you or the school.

Guard against absolute responses such as, ‘I can assure you I would never say something

likethat!’.Saythingslike,‘…youmightberightaboutthat…perhapsIcould…’.

Request speciﬁc feedback to criticism: for example, you could say things like, ‘What

specicallydidIdothat…’,‘Ifyouwereinmyshoes,whatwouldyoudodifferently…’,‘I’m

notsureI’mclearaboutyourconcerns…’,‘Canyougivemesomespecicexamples?’.

Avoid negative triggers

To successfully resolve confrontation, you need to use language that expresses your desire to

work in partnership with the complainant to ﬁnd a solution.

Negative triggers have the effect of setting up roadblocks to, or shutting down, discussion.

They make it harder, not easier, to ﬁnd a solution.

The table below shows some negative triggers and some positive alternatives.

Negative triggers Positive alternatives

It’s our policy to Here’s what we can do

I can’t I can

No, I don’t know I can ﬁnd out

But And

You should have I understand why you

Why didn’t you I can see why

The only thing we can do The best option I think

Sound helpful

Address the complainant by name, use a tone of voice that sounds helpful and ask the

complainant to help you. For example:

‘Ms…,Iamnotclearabouttheissueyouareraising.Canyouidentifythepreciseissue

you are concerned about and what you feel needs to happen, so I can investigate the issue

on your behalf?’

Delay action to provide ‘time out’

By not taking action immediately, you give yourself and the complainant ‘time out’. For example,

you can say things like, ‘Ms..., I think we need some more information before we can move any

further…’.

Other resources

Ombudsman Victoria, ‘

How to deal with challenging behaviours’,

in Complaint handling

guidefortheVictorianPublicSector, at: www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au

Better Health Channel,

Stress in everyday life

, at: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/

bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Stress_in_everyday_life

Better Health Channel,

Workplace conﬂict

, at: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/

bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Workplace_conﬂict

Better Health Channel,

Assertiveness

, at: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/

pages/Assertiveness

13. Managing

your anger

The following tips

will help you control

your feelings of

anger and use other

more effective ways

to respond.

The impact of anger on our bodies

While it is natural to feel angry when facing situations we believe are unfair, anger is seldom

helpful. It can also become a bad habit and appear to others to be a way of trying to control a

situation.

When you feel angry, your body releases adrenalin. Blood rushes to your legs, arms and

head. You may begin to sweat and breathe quickly. Your heartbeat speeds up and you get

urges to yell, scream, lash out or run. This is the ‘ﬁght or ﬂight’ reaction.

We tend to suppress anger at work because we are afraid of damaging relationships or

hurting someone. This can quickly result in muscular tension in the shoulders, neck, back or

any part of the body. Unreleased tension can build up until we can no longer suppress it and

ﬂy off the handle, perhaps at someone who had nothing to do with the original cause of the

anger. Or, if it slowly builds and is unreleased over many years, tension can become chronic

and possibly damage your immune system.

Releasing tension

While most of us cannot just tell our anger to go away and have it obey, you can do the following

exercises when you feel tension and anger arising.

• Ifyoucan,excuseyourselffromthesituationassoonasyourecognisethatyouremotions

are beginning to overtake you. For example, take a brisk walk around the school oval.

• Gotothebathroomandsplashyourfacewithwater.

• Slowdown,don’tspeedupasanaturalresponsetoanger.

• Dothebreathingandothercalmingexercisesdescribedinguides12and14.

Principles of anger management

• Identifysituationsandtypesofbehavioursthatcanmakeyouangry.

• Learntorecogniseyourrstsignsofanger.Thenwatchoutforthemwhentheyarise.

• Usetheserstsignsofangerasasignaltofocusonsolvingtheproblemandnoton

attacking the person.

• Angercanstemfromdoubtaboutyourabilitytofaceandsolveproblems.Usetherst

signs of anger to remind yourself that you are a worthy person with many strengths and

good qualities.

• Askyourselfwhethertheotherperson’scriticismisvalidorjustied.Forexample,

ask yourself:

– ‘Have I made a mistake?’

– ‘Are the other person’s standards known and reasonable?’

– ‘Do other people agree with the criticism of me?’

– ‘Is the criticism more about me or the other person?’

– ‘Am I being side tracked by personalising the situation?’

• Identifyandanticipatesituationswhereconictcanarise.Forexample,itislikelythat

complaints will arise after school reports are issued. Use past experiences to identify areas

of concern and be prepared to respond to common concerns.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

Responding when angry

Generally speaking, there are three forms of interaction with others — assertive, aggressive

and passive. Assertive responses are usually best when resolving a complaint.

With assertive responses, you:

• clarifyyourownneedsdirectly,openlyandappropriately

• areawareofyourownrightsandtherightsofothers

• askcondentlyandwithoutundueanxiety(oftenexpressingyourselfwithan‘I’statement,

as explained below).

With aggressive responses, you:

• trytogetwhatyouwantinanywaypossible

• oftengiverisetouncomfortablefeelingsinothers

• threaten,cajole,manipulateorusesarcasm

• say:‘youshould…’,‘youmust...’,‘you’dbetter…’,‘never’,‘always’,‘impossible’,‘won’t’or

‘can’t’.

With passive responses, you:

• hopethatyougetwhatyouwant

• sitonyourfeelings

• relyonotherstoguesswhatyouwant.Expressedas:‘maybe’,‘Iguess…’,‘Ican’t…’,

‘youknow…’,‘theydon’tlisten’or‘they’reobnoxious’.

‘I’ statements

By using an ‘I’ statement, you tell other people how you feel about something while clarifying

your needs. An ‘I’ statement:

• doesnotblamesomeoneorrequirethemtochange

• helpstoidentifyaconcernandopenadiscussion(butdoesnotresolvethesituation)

• addresses‘I’and‘we’,ratherthan‘you’

• isinformalandsimplystateshowyoufeelandwhatyourconcernsare.

An ‘I’ statement has three parts:

• astatementofyourfeelings(suchas,‘Ifeelattacked…’)

• adescriptionofthebehaviourthatbringsforwardthefeelings(suchas,‘…whenpeople

raisetheirvoicetomakeapoint…’)

• astatementoftheconsequencesofthebehaviour(suchas‘…becauseitinvariablymakes

others angry and leads to more aggression’).

You might like to add a fourth component — what you would like to see happen (such as,

‘I suggest we try to remain calm so that we can discuss the concerns you want to raise and

develop a timeline to try to resolve them’).

14. Being calm

in a high-stress

situation

The following tips

will help you be calm

before, during

and after a high-stress

situation.

The most effective way to overcome the stress and anxiety of a high-stress situation is

usually to be realistic about how much of the situation you can change. You may not be able

to control the situation but you can control the effect it has on you.

In these hectic times, the ability to become calm is one of the most important life skills.

It enables you to restore your sense of wellbeing when things go wrong. It helps you to

feel better when normally you would feel awful. It helps you address with equanimity the

stressful things that happen.

Breathing to become calm

The usefulness of any technique to become calm depends on whether you believe it will be

useful. If you have successfully practised the technique in the past, it is more likely to work in

the future. Therefore, the best time to practise calming techniques is not in a crisis, just like

the best time to practise swimming is not when the boat is sinking. The best time to practise

calming techniques is when life is relatively calm.

Breathing techniques have proved effective in bringing about calm. Deep and focused

breathing causes your body to release endorphins, which are tranquillising hormones.

By practising these calming exercises regularly, you can equip yourself to better handle the

stresses of daily life. The following simple breathing exercise is a good place to start.

• Findawarm,quietplaceandastraight-backedchair.Loosenyourclothes,takeoffyour

shoes and sit down.

• Whenyoudothefollowingbreathingexercises,trytofocusontheexperienceofbreathing

and not on what is happening around you or on yesterday’s, today’s or tomorrow’s

problems.

• Takeadeepbreathinthroughyournostrils.Dothiswithoutexertion,neitherraisingyour

shoulders nor pufﬁng out your chest.

• Holdthebreathforasecondortwo.Imaginethebreathowingthroughyourbodyintothe

extremities — your hands, feet and skull.

• Slowlybreatheoutthroughyourlips.

• Asyoubreatheout,feelthetensionmeltingfromyourbodyintotheoor.Asyoucontinue

to practise, you may notice that the tension is passing from your body through the soles of

your feet.

• Repeattheexercise.

• Trytodothisexerciseforatleast10breathswithoutlosingconcentrationtoomuch.

• Trytodotheexerciseeverydayorsecondday.

• Ifyoundtheexercisehelpful,makeitpartofyourroutine(atthesameplaceandsame

time) and slowly extend the time. Even ﬁve minutes, four days a week, should result in

a very pleasurable sense of calm that gradually extends well beyond the time of your

practice.

Addressing parents’ concerns and complaints effectively: policy and guides

Other calming exercises

By practising these calming exercises regularly, you can equip yourself to better handle the

stresses of daily life.

• Sigh(withabigoutbreath),dropyourshoulders,closeyoureyesandformyourlipsintoa

half smile.

• Physicallychangeyourpositionbysittingdown,openingawindow,gettingupfromyour

desk or getting a cup of tea. Simple changes in position can dramatically alter the amount

of tension you feel.

• Meditation,yogaandmassageareprovencalmingstrategies.

• Thetteryouare,thebetterableyouaretocope.Manytnessactivities(suchas

bicycling, walking, jogging or swimming) involve repetitious movements. Approached in a

relaxed frame of mind, such repetitious movement also has a powerful meditative effect.

Calm during a crisis

• Dothebreathingexercisethatyouhavepractised.

• Slowdownyouractions.

• Removeyourselfandothersfromthesituationifnecessary.

• Applytheschool’scrisisplan.

Calm after a crisis

• Removeyourshoes,makeyourselfcomfortableandstaywarm.

• Don’tusecigarettes,coffeeoralcohol—theyarestimulants.

• Continueyourbreathingexercise.Listentoeachbreathandconcentrateonyourbreathing,

just as you have practised.

• Seeksupport.

Support

One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to deal with a crisis is to try to

handle it alone. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. Seek it from a friend, a personal

counsellor or a colleague.

There are enormous — sometimes even lifesaving — beneﬁts to be had from an intimate

discussion with another person. Whether that discussion yields useful advice or not is

seldom the issue. The real beneﬁt comes from sharing your experience and in receiving

encouragement to continue.