Comments, compliments, concerns
North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services (NEOFACS) is interested in hearing from you including comments and compliments you may have about the service we provide. You may send these to your worker or send your general comments and compliments through our Client Feedback Surveys.
We can work it out – together
NEOFACS is committed to hearing your concerns to ensure we are providing excellent service to the children, youth and families we work with. You may make your concern known to us informally by contacting your worker, team leader or complaint manager for an informal discussion.
For more information on how to voice your comments, compliments or concerns, please review the sections below.
Child Protection, Emergency After Hours Services, Foster Care and Adoption Programs
Informal discussion
Staff, clients, children, foster and kin parents know that the best way to resolve issues is to deal with them promptly and directly with the people involved.
We encourage you to begin by discussing your concern with your worker, or with his or her supervisor or service manager. Our staff may understand the source of your concerns and be able to reach a resolution with you.
At any time during the informal discussion process, if your concern has not been resolved to your satisfaction by talking to your worker, supervisor or service manager, you may choose to make a formal complaint.
There are four formal mechanisms for you to express your concerns:
- Internal Complaint Review Panel (ICRP)
- Child and Family Services Review Board (CFSRB)
- Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario
- Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC)
Internal Complaint Review Panel (ICRP)
Formal complaints with ICRP about service sought or received by you or your child or a perceived inaccuracy of your information in NEOFACS CAS case records must be done in writing. To begin this process, complete the ICRP complaints form or call NEOFACS 705-360-7100 to have the form sent to you.
The form may be completed online or printed and then mailed to our office. If mailing the form, send to NEOFACS at the address that follows:
Attention: Manager of Continuous Improvement, Strategic Projects, and Communications
North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services
707 Ross Avenue East, Timmins, ON P4N 8R1
Once we receive the complaint, we will respond in writing within seven days to determine if your complaint is eligible for the ICRP review process. NEOFACS will notify you in writing about the decision and reason for the decision.
If the complaint is eligible, you will be invited to meet with NEOFACS ICRP within 14 days of the agency’s response letter.
The ICRP is comprised of three people not involved with the family, child or youth.
You may bring one support person with you to this meeting. In addition, if you choose, you may also bring a lawyer. If you are a member of a band or aboriginal community, you may also bring a representative of your band or aboriginal community.
The ICRP is an opportunity for you to be heard about your complaint, to create solutions and improve communications. A letter summarizing the results of the meeting will be sent to you within 14 days after the meeting.
Child and Family Services Review Board (CFSRB)
You may ask the Child and Family Services Review Board of the Social Justice Tribunals Ontario (SJTO) to review your complaint. In order to do so, your complaint must meet one of the following criteria.
You believe that NEOFACS has:
- refused to proceed with a complaint;
- failed to respond to your complaint within the required time frame;
- failed to comply with the complaint procedure;
- not given you an opportunity to be heard; regarding a decision affecting your interest or concerns about the service you received;
- failed to provide you with the reasons for a decision that affects your interests; or
- failed to place your notice of disagreement on your case record.
Your request for a review at the Child and Family Services Review Board will need to be in writing on a prescribed form available through the Child and Family Services Review Board.
To learn more:
Child and Family Services Review Board
655 Bay Street, 14th Floor, Toronto, ON M7A 2A3
Phone: 416-327-0111 or 1-888-777-3616
Fax: 416-327-0558
Email: cfsrb@ontario.ca
http://www.cfsrb.ca
Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario
The Ombudsman’s Children and Youth Unit has the ability to investigate matters about services provided by Children’s Aid Societies, as well as other child protection matters under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act. If you have gone through the other two formal complaint processes but the concern was not resolved, the Ombudsman may be able to investigate.
As of May 2019, the Ombudsman may also investigate matters related to French language services. As of May 2019 you may complain to the Ombudsman at any time when you believe that your right to be served in French was not respected.
To learn more:
Children & Youth Unit
401 Bay Street, Suite 2200, Toronto, ON M5H 2Y4
Phone: 416-325-5669 or 1-800-263-2841
Fax: 416-325-5681
Email: cy-ej@ombudsman.on.ca
http://www.ombudsman.on.ca
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC)
The IPC acts independently of the government to oversee Ontario’s access to information and protection of privacy laws. This includes Part X of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA), which applies to societies and other child and family service providers.
As of January 1, 2020, societies are required by Part X of the CYFSA to protect privacy and enable access to, and correction of, records of personal information in their custody or control related to the provision of a service.
Any person can make a complaint to the IPC if they believe a society is not complying with these requirements. For example, you could complain to the IPC if your privacy is breached (e.g., the society viewed or disclosed your records inappropriately) or if you are not satisfied with the society’s response to your request for access or correction of your records. Complaints about compliance with Part X of the CYFSA should be made to the IPC and not through the society’s internal complaints review process.
Please note that complaints about access and correction requests must be submitted to the IPC within six months after the society’s response to your request (or failure to respond). All other complaints (for example, about a privacy breach) must be submitted within one year after the subject of the complaint first came (or should reasonably have come) to your attention.
To file a complaint with the IPC, you must fill out the appropriate IPC form for access/correction or privacy complaints about a child and family service provider, which you can get at http://www.ipc.on.ca.
For more information, you may contact the IPC at:
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto ON M4W 1A8
Telephone: 416-326-3333; Toll Free: 1-800-387-0073; TDD/TTY: 416-325-7539
Email: info@ipc.on.ca
Child and Youth Mental Health, Prevention Programs, Youth Justice, Volunteer Services, and Community Services programs
If you are dissatisfied with anything about the service you are receiving from NEOFACS, or if you think something should be available to you and it isn’t, we need to know.
We need to know because we try hard to offer the best service possible. If there is a problem or a difference of opinion, we want to do our best to work with you.
If you are not a client of the Agency
Register your complaint with the Intake Supervisor at 705-360-7100. This person will put you in touch with the most appropriate staff member to handle your concern.
If you are a client of the Agency
Informal Service Complaint:
Discuss your complaint with your worker.
If your worker is unavailable when you call, please leave a message with a telephone number where you can be reached.
Discussion with your worker gives you both a chance to look for a solution to your complaint. If it helps, write out what the problem is and give it to your worker. You may want to have a friend or advisor come with you when you meet with your worker.
If your complaint is not resolved, with the worker, you may choose to make a verbal complaint to the Program Supervisor, Service Manager, Director of Service or Executive Director.
If your informal complaint was not resolved, you may want to proceed with the formal service complaint.
Formal Service Complaint:
FORMALIZING YOUR COMPLAINT WITH MANAGEMENT
If you want to make a formal complaint, you must do so in writing, specifying the concerns or issues requiring resolution.
You may make the complaint in the language of your choice. Please deliver or mail your written complaint to one of our offices, to the attention of the Program Supervisor, or Service Manager.
What you can expect:
To be contacted by the Supervisor to see how you would like your complaint handled.
There will be an internal review of the complaint. The Supervisor will meet with your worker to discuss what has been done to resolve the complaint.
You may be asked to meet with the Supervisor, you may bring a friend or advisor to help you.
If the complaint has been resolved, you may expect a letter within 7 working days. This letter will confirm the actions taken to satisfy the complaint.
If your formal complaint was not resolved, you may want to proceed by requesting a review with the Executive Director and or the Chair of the Board of Directors.
Please note that a complaint can be made to the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) or the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) for Child and Family Intervention Workers in the Mental Health Counselling and Therapy Program.
If you are not a client of the Agency
If you are not a client of the Agency, you can register your complaint with the Intake Supervisor at 705-360-7100. This person will put you in touch with the most appropriate staff member to handle your concern.
Child or Youth Complaints
Effective May 1, 2019, the Ontario Ombudsman’s new Children and Youth Unit can answer questions, provide information about the rights of children and youth, conduct investigations, and address complaints from young people and adults who may have concerns about services provided under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act.
For more information, the Ombudsman’s Office can be reached at 1-800-263-2841 (toll-free) or visit http://www.ombudsman.on.ca.