Information about how to give us feedback or make a complaint about our service, and information about how to report a concern about a child, a person or an organisation.
Ways you can report a concern about an individual or organisation
Open allDepending on your situation, there are different ways you can report a concern.
- Reporting individual child safety concerns
If you have immediate concerns about potential harm to a child, it's better to contact organisations with a direct mandate to help. These organisations are set up to respond quickly to child safety concerns, have trained professionals to assess and act on reports and have the legal authority to intervene directly when necessary.
- Immediate danger: Call the police on 000
- To report suspected child abuse or neglect contact the Child Protection Helpline on 132 111 (TTY 1800 212 936).
- Complaints about out-of-home care placements or agencies contracted by Department of Communities and Justice can be made to the Department of Communities and Justice.
- Concerns about a person or organisation working with children
If you have a concern about how a person or organisation is:
- managing Working with Children Checks
- implementing the Child Safe Scheme
- implementing the Reportable Conduct Scheme or
- employing children in entertainment
you can report a concern.
Complaint about an entity's response to a reportable allegation
If you want to make a complaint about the way an entity has responded to an allegation reportable under the Reportable Conduct Scheme, you can make a complaint. How to make a complaint about how an entity responded to a reportable allegation.
Ways you can make a complaint about our services
Open allUnder our Complaints Management Policy and Procedures you can provide feedback to us about:
- decisions made by our employees
- the conduct of our employees, including the quality of service provided
- our policies, procedures and practices.
Depending on your situation or your concerns, there are different ways you can make a complaint.
- Privacy complaints
Complaints about breaches of privacy will be managed in line with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 and Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002. To make a privacy complaint please email Legal@ocg.nsw.gov.au
- Public interest disclosures
The Public Interest Disclosures Act 2022 applies to all NSW public sector agencies, including the Office of the Children’s Guardian. This Act provides a framework for public officials to report serious wrongdoing in the public sector and to be protected when they do so.
If you would like to report serious wrongdoing to our office, please read our Public interest disclosures policy before making your report.
Contacts for complaints about our service
- Email: ocg@ocg.nsw.gov.au
- Completing the Contact us form
- Phone: (02) 8219 3600
- Postal:
Office of the Children’s Guardian
Locked Bag 5100
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
What you should include in your complaint
Briefly state your concern to tell us what happened. Make sure you also include:
- which person or area of the Office of the Children’s Guardian you would like to complain about
- the relevant date and reference number, if you have them
- what you would like us to do to resolve your complaint
- your contact details: name, postal address and contact telephone numbers
- if you would like your complaint to be handled confidentially.
While we can handle your complaint confidentially, this may limit our ability to examine or resolve your concerns. If this is the case, we will contact you to discuss the issue, before taking further action.
Making an anonymous complaint
You can choose to remain anonymous when you send us a complaint. Anonymous complaints will be registered and referred to the relevant area for review. If you choose to make an anonymous complaint, we won’t be able to respond to you, and it might be more difficult to make enquiries about your complaint.
Response times
Generally, we will provide an acknowledgement to your feedback within 5 business days and a response to your complaint within 60 business days of receipt. If a complaint is serious or complex, it may take longer.
If our response to your complaint is likely to be significantly delayed, we will let you know about the delay. If possible, we will also give you an estimated timeframe for our response.
What we do with the information you give us
The way we collect, store and use any of your personal information is regulated by law. More information about the privacy of your information can be found on our Privacy page.
Getting help to make a complaint
If you have a disability, or if you do not understand English well, we can help you with providing feedback or making a complaint.
Please let us know:
- about your disability, or your preferred language
- how you would like us to help you provide feedback or make a complaint.
We cannot provide you with legal advice. If you need a lawyer or other legal information, please contact Law Access NSW.
Translation services
The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) phone number is 131 450 within Australia.
Hearing or speech impairment
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can contact us through
- voice calls or telephone typewriter (TTY) call 133 677 then ask for 13 77 88
- speak and listen service call 1300 555 727 the ask for 13 77 88
- SMS relay service on 0423 677 767 then type 13 77 88
- make an internet relay call then type 13 77 88
What to do if you are not satisfied with our response
If you are not satisfied with our response, please let us know and we will organise an internal review.
You can do this by contacting the person you have been dealing with and making this request. Your complaint will then be escalated internally to an appropriate person for review and response.
If you are still not satisfied, please contact the NSW Ombudsman.
NSW Ombudsman
Level 24, 580 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9286 1000
Toll free: 1800 451 524 (Australia wide)
There is more information on the Ombudsman’s website to get help to make a complaint.
