Youth Legal Service (YLS) is committed to ensuring any person or organisation using YLS services or affected by its operations has the right to lodge a complaint and/or provide feedback on the services they have received.
All concerns raised and feedback will be addressed in ways that ensure access and equity, fairness, accountability, and transparency.
How to make a complaint or provide feedback, including an anonymous complaint
Complaints and feedback may be made by:
Completing the Feedback and Complaints form online
submitting a completed a hardcopy Feedback and Complaints form and providing it to a staff member or sending it to YLS via post at Suite 3, 12 St Georges Tce., Perth 6000.
By phoning 9202 1688
Anonymous complaints may be made by telephone (as above).
The contact person for lodging a complaint or providing feedback
A person wishing to make a complaint may do so in writing or verbally or by email to the staff member they were dealing with at the time, or the Director or Principal Solicitor
How YLS will deal with the complaint, the steps involved and the timelines
Within 14 days of the complaint being received you will be informed what is being done to investigate and resolve the matter you have raised, and the expected time frame for this to happen.
As far as possible, complaints or appeals will be investigated and resolved within 21 days of being received. If this time frame cannot be met, you will be informed of the reasons why and of the alternative time frame.
Your right to an advocate, support person or interpreter
You have the right and will be encouraged to have an advocate or support person with you when speaking to staff should you wish.
If you require an interpreter to assist you in making a complaint or providing feedback, please let us know so we can arrange an interpreter for you.
How you will be informed about the outcome of your complaint.
Once a decision has been made regarding the complaint, you will be informed of the outcome and the reasons for any decisions made.
A complaint may be:
upheld (and if so, what we will do to resolve the situation)
resolved (and how this has been achieved); or
if no further action can be taken, the reasons for this
Any options for further action you may wish to take. For example, you may wish the Board of YLS to review the decision that has been made.
How to make a complaint to an external body including contact details
If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can make a complaint to the Legal Practice Board if the complaint is of a legal nature.
The Legal Practice Board can be contacted via https://www.lpbwa.org.au or at 111 St George’s Terrace Perth WA 6000 or telephone 08 6211 3600
PLEASE NOTE that Youth Legal Service is unable to take on any new matters until after 31 October 2024.