New South Wales Consolidated Acts

COMMUNITY SERVICES (COMPLAINTS, REVIEWS AND MONITORING) ACT 1993 - SECT 11

11 Community services functions of Ombudsman

(1) The Ombudsman has the following functions:

(a) to promote and assist the development of standards for the delivery of community services,

(b) to educate service providers, clients, carers and the community generally about those standards,

(c) to monitor and review the delivery of community services and related programs, both generally and in particular cases,

(d) to make recommendations for improvements in the delivery of community services and for the purpose of promoting the rights and best interests of persons using, or eligible to use, community services,

(e) to inquire, on his or her own initiative, into matters affecting service providers and visitable services and persons receiving, or eligible to receive, community services or services provided by visitable services,

(f) to receive, assess, resolve or investigate complaints under Part 4,

(g) to assist service providers in improving their complaints procedures,

(h) to assist in the making of complaints under Part 4 by persons receiving, or eligible to receive, community services,

(i) to provide information, education and training, and to encourage others to do so, relating to the making, handling and resolution of complaints about the delivery of community services,

(j) to promote access to advocacy support for persons receiving, or eligible to receive, community services to ensure adequate participation in decision making about the services they receive,

(k) to review the causes and patterns of complaints under Part 4 and identify ways in which those causes could be removed or minimised,

(l) to review the situation of a child in care or a person in care or a group of children in care or a group of persons in care under section 13,

(m) to review the systems of service providers for handling complaints under section 14,

(n) to review the causes and patterns of reviewable deaths under Part 6 and identify ways in which those deaths could be prevented or reduced.

(2) In the exercise of functions under this Act, the Ombudsman may:

(a) consult and co-operate with other relevant investigative agencies and those concerned with the determination of the rights and interests of persons receiving, or eligible to receive, community services, and

(b) consult persons and groups with an interest in the provision of community services, particularly organisations of persons receiving, or eligible to receive, community services and those advocating their interests, and

(c) have regard to the needs of those persons (such as children) who are receiving, or are eligible to receive, community services and are least likely or able to complain.