Access Arts Inc. defines a Member as any person who has filled out a membership form to join the organisation.

Staff are defined as persons engaged in Office, workshop/project or program, Volunteer or Student placement work at Access Arts Inc.

Definition:

A grievance is a formal statement of complaint.

Purpose:

To provide all Members and Staff with an appropriate process for making a complaint or grievance.

Policy:

1. There will be no recrimination against any Member or Staff who makes a complaint about Access Arts Inc. activities and/or Staff.

2. All grievances will be handled in a confidential and sensitive manner consistent with the Access Arts Inc. policy on privacy, confidentiality and freedom of information.

3. All Members and Staff have the right to invite, at any stage, an independent advocate to assist them to resolve a grievance with Access Arts Inc.

4. All Members and Staff have the right to speak directly to the Access Arts Inc. Management Committee. An advocate may only respond to the grievance when invited by the complainant.

5. A member of the Access Arts Inc. Management Committee shall be nominated to assume the responsibility of dealing with matters pertaining to sexual harassment.

Grievance Procedure

Members and Staff may enlist the support of an advocate at any time during the grievance process. The advocate must sign a disclaimer which states that they are acting on behalf of the complainant.

1. Access Arts Inc. Staff shall report all Members’ grievances and complaints to the Executive Director, except if the grievance concerns the Executive Director. The matter shall then be reported to the Chairperson of the Access Arts Inc. Management Committee. The role of the Executive Director or Chairperson in such instances is to arrange a meeting with the complainant and his/her advocate as the initial step to resolution of the grievance.

2. Before any formal action can be taken, the grievance must be written, signed, and lodged with the Executive Director or the Chairperson of the Access Arts Inc. Management Committee (using the Grievance Report Form). If the Member does not wish to lodge a written grievance the Executive Director/Chairperson will then ask them if an account of the grievance can be signed off by the Member and filed. This will then enable Access Arts to identify areas in which grievances are reoccurring and make the necessary changes to help prevent grievances of that nature happening again.

3. An acknowledgement of the grievance from the Executive Director/Chairperson will be passed onto the person Member making the grievance within 24hours of the grievance being lodged.

4. A response, (including an invitation for the member to meet with the Executive Director or Chair of the Management Committee if required) will be provided within seven days in the Member's preferred format.

5. Should discussions with the Executive Director fail to resolve the matter to the satisfaction of both parties, then the matter shall be referred, by either party, to the Access Arts Inc. Management Committee for resolution at the next Management Committee meeting. A response will be provided to the Member in their preferred format within seven days of this resolution.

6. Should the initial meeting with the Access Arts Inc. Management Committee fail to resolve the matter to the satisfaction of both parties, then the matter shall be referred to an independent arbitrator for assistance. This will be arranged by Access Arts in consultation with the Member within fourteen days of receipt of the Management Committee response.

7. If one (1) month after the independent arbitrator has been appointed the grievance has not been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties, a special general meeting of the Members will be called to resolve the matter.

8. If the special general meeting doesn't resolve the matter to the satisfaction of both parties it may be referred to the Disability Services Queensland Complaints Process. (For further information on DSQ's Complaints Management policy and procedures please go to www.disability.qld.gov.au/complaints/policy.html.)

9. After the grievance process is resolved, and if the grievance was proven, a review will be held by either Staff and/or Management Committee members and appropriate action will be taken to make improvements to service including a review of organisational policy and procedures, staff training and disciplinary action.