On 21 June 2023, the Victorian Ombudsman delivered a workshop, Dealing with Complex Behaviour, to SSRV staff. This workshop allowed staff to reflect and build on strengths, challenges and strategies in responding to complex client situations. SSRV found this training to be very beneficial and is grateful to the Victorian Ombudsman for the opportunity to participate in this workshop.
The Victorian Ombudsman can consider discounted training rates with community legal centres on a case-by-case basis and offers training in Dealing with Complex Behaviour, Good Complaint Handling, Conflict of Interest Risks and Good Decision Making (from late August). You can find information about training opportunities here.
The Victorian Ombudsman deals with complaints about Victorian public organisations. These include local councils, Victorian government departments and organisations, Victorian universities and TAFEs, publicly funded community services, prisons and professional boards.
The Victorian Ombudsman commonly deals with complaints about Child Protection, State Trustees and human right breaches by Victorian public organisations. There are many overlaps with the issues SSRV clients face and we recognise it can be difficult to find the right place to turn to for help.
If you or a client thinks they have been treated wrongly by a Victorian public organisation, they can contact the Victorian Ombudsman to seek information, and in some cases provide assistance with fixing the issue.
Many SSRV clients reflect that they feel caught in a loop when navigating disputes with government organisations and are unsure of the steps to take to seek resolution. The Victorian Ombudsman can assist with navigating and escalating disputes with Victorian public organisations. The Victorian Ombudsman website can be found here. Their phone number is 1800 806 314.
There are a range of ombudsmen and authorities for different types of complaints. You can find more information here about where best to direct your complaint.
Complaints about Centrelink and Services Australia can be considered by the Commonwealth Ombudsman. You can find more information about the Commonwealth Ombudsman here.
