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If you are worried about your safety right now, you should call the police on 000.
It’s OK to tell someone.
If you are in care and need help or support after hours (after 5pm or before 9am or on the weekend), you can call the below number for your state
Sometimes talking to your family, carer, residential worker or case manager is the best thing to do first. You can also talk to your case worker’s supervisor if you would prefer.
To see the contact/s for complaints in your state, find your state in the list below:
| QLD | Office of Public Guardian (OPG) PO Box 13554 | The Office of the Public Guardian can respond to complaints from children and young people in care, they also have Community Visitors who can help you to stand up for yourself and support you voicing your views. | LINK |
| QLD | Queensland Human Rights Commission Phone: 1300 130 670 | The Human Rights Commission works to protect twenty-three human rights for every person in Queensland. These rights include your right to an education and your right to a fair hearing before the law. The Human Rights Commission can take complaints if a Queensland Government department or organisation funded by the Queensland Government is ignoring your rights. The law says that your rights can be limited, but only where it is reasonable and justifiable. The Human Rights Commission cannot accept a complaint unless you first make a complaint to the public entity you are complaining about (e.g a government department), and give that entity at least 45 business days to respond. | LINK |
| QLD | Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal GPO Box 1639, Brisbane, Qld, 4001 | The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) is like a court that can take a new look at some decisions made about your life by Child Safety. If you don’t agree with the decision you, have up to 28 days to apply to QCAT for a review of the decision. You can also apply to stop Child Safety from carrying out the decision until QCAT makes the final verdict. | LINK |
| QLD | Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs Call the manager of your local child safety service centre or call Child Safety’s Complaints Unit on 1800 080 464 (free call) | Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs in QLD Government is responsible for children and young people in care. If you have a complaint about the Department, you can talk to your carer or local child safety office. If you would feel more comfortable, you can contact the Child Safety Complaints Unit. | LINK |
| NSW | NSW Ombudsman Phone: 02 9286 1000 | The NSW Ombudsman is an independent watchdog. Their job is to make sure that the government agencies they watch over do their jobs properly. Any person can contact the Ombudsman to make a complaint about the actions of Family and Community Services. | LINK |
| NSW | FACS 1800 000 164 (9am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday) | FACS is the part of the NSW Government responsible for protecting children and young people from risk of significant harm and for making sure children and young people in care receive the help and support they needed. You can complain directly to your local Community Service Centre/FACS office | LINK |
| ACT | ACT Human Rights Commission Phone: 6205 2222 | The Children and Young People Commissioner and the Public Advocate work at the Human Rights Commission. They are separate from Child and Youth Protection Services and ACT Together, and help to make sure children and young people are being looked after well. You can talk to them about what’s bothering you and they can work out ways of fixing the issue or making sure it doesn’t happen again. |
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| ACT | ACT Ombudsman Phone: 6276 3773 | The ACT Ombudsman can help you if your complaint relates to an ACT Government agency, such as Child and Youth Protection Services or the Police. If you have spoken to your carer, case manager or their supervisor and you’re not happy with how they have responded, you can then talk to the Ombudsman. | LINK |
| ACT | ACT Together Phone: (02) 6228 9500 | ACT Together is a group of agencies that provide out of home care services for children and young people in the ACT. If you have a complaint or feedback about these agencies, you are allowed to talk to them directly if you want to. | LINK |
| ACT | Official Visitors Phone: 1800 150 036 | If you are in residential care or the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre you can ask to have an Official Visitor come to see you. Their job is to visit young people who are in residential care, in a youth justice centre or another place getting help with their mental health, to make sure they are being looked after properly. If you have a complaint you can let an Official Visitor know and they can help you resolve it. | LINK |
| ACT | Child and Youth Protection Services Postal Address: PO Box 158, Canberra ACT 2601 | The ACT Government has a separate office that listens to people who want to raise a concern or make a complaint about something that might be happening for a child or young person in care. You can also contact them and talk about what’s bothering you and they will try and help you. It doesn’t matter if you are living with your family in kinship care, with a foster family or in a residential house, this office can talk to all children and young people in care. | LINK |
| NT | The Office of the Children’s Commissioner Complaints Freecall: 1800 259 256 Monday – Friday 8:00am – 4:00pm (except public holidays) | The Office of the Children’s Commissioner is an independent office that you can complain to if you feel that you are being treated unfairly and/or your rights are not being met within the care system. | LINK |
| NT | Territory Families, Housing and Communities To contact your case manager or someone else in TFHC | Territory Families, Housing and Communities is the part of the NT Government responsible for children and young people in care. If you have a complaint about Territory Families, you can contact your case manager, or, if you would feel more comfortable, you can contact the Territory Families Practice Complaints and Investigations Unit. | LINK |
| TAS | Child Advocate (Communities Tasmania)
Weekdays 9.00am – 5.00pm FB Messenger: child.advocate.tas | The Child Advocate’s job is to make sure that children and young people in care in Tasmania have their rights upheld. If you would like support to make a complaint, or are not happy about a decision, contact the Child Advocate. | LINK |
| TAS | Department of Communities Tasmania
Children and Youth Services Statewide by email: complaints.caf@communities.tas.gov.au | Children and Youth Services (CYS) is a part of the Tasmanian Government and is responsible for children and young people in care. If you have a complaint about the CYS, you can talk to your carer, or if you would feel more comfortable, you can contact Children and Youth Services by email or phone. | LINK |
| TAS | Tasmanian Ombudsman | The Tasmanian Ombudsman handles complaints about Children and Youth Services. If you have been treated unfairly by Children and Youth Services and are not happy with their response, you can ask the Ombudsman to look into the situation | LINK |
| VIC | Victorian Ombudsman Level 2, 570 Bourke Street Phone: (03) 9613 6222 or toll free (regional areas only) on 1800 806 314 | You can complain to the Victorian Ombudsman if you have been treated unfairly by a Victorian Government department, such as the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The Ombudsman will only listen to your complaint if you have tried to sort it out with the people you have a problem with. | LINK |
| VIC | Department of Victoria Health and Human Services Complaints Unit GPO Box 4057 | The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is the part of the Victorian government responsible for children and young people in care. If you have a complaint about the Department of Communities, you can talk to your carer, or if you would feel more comfortable, you can contact the DHHS Service Complaints Unit. | LINK |
| WA | Advocate for Children in Care Phone (08) 9222 2518 | If you’re a child or young person in the care of the Department for Child Protection and Family Support, then you can complain to the Advocate for Children in Care. The Advocate is there to help when you have problems or worries that you can’t sort out with your case worker. Do you want help to have your say, get information, or have a departmental decision reviewed? Maybe you want to know more about your rights or how you can participate in making decisions about your life. | LINK |
| WA | WA Department for Child Protection and Family Support (DCPFS) Complaints Management Unit | The Department for Child Protection and Family Support is the part of the Western Australian government responsible for children and young people in care. If you have a complaint about the Department for Child Protection and Family Support, you can talk to your carer, or if you would feel more comfortable, you can contact their Complaints Management Unit. The Department for Child Protection and Family Support wants to protect and promote the interests of children and young people in care, and the Advocate for Children in Care has been created especially to focus on them, their views and their concerns. | LINK |
| SA | Office of the Guardian for Children and Young People
Freecall: 1800 275 664
| The Guardian is appointed to stand up for children and young people under the guardianship of the Chief Executive of the Department for Child Protection.
You can talk to the Guardian about: | LINK |
| SA | Department of Child Protection
Central Complaints Unit | DCP are the part of the SA Government responsible for children and young people in care. If you have a complaint about the Department of Child Safety, you can talk to your carer or caseworker, or, if you would feel more comfortable, you can contact the DCP Central Complaints Unit. | LINK |
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This website was built in consultation with children and young people with a care experience. Thank you to all the young people involved in providing feedback and sharing your insights throughout this process.
CREATE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of lands across Australia. We pay respects to Traditional Owners and Elders, past and present. We celebrate culture and community and we celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.
National Office – Sydney
Suite 6.01, Level 6, 80 George St
PARRAMATTA NSW 2150
Phone: (02) 9267 1999
Email: create@create.org.au
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