St Mary MacKillop College is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment where everyone is treated with respect, fairness and dignity. We aim to resolve concerns or complaints in a supportive, conciliatory environment.

At St Mary MacKillop College, we acknowledge that parents/guardians and caregiver’s can, at times, feel concerned about their child’s education or about something they believe is happening in their child’s school.

We wish to ensure that:

• Parents/guardians and caregiver’s may register their complaint with respect for all parties concerned
• We listen and take complaints seriously
• We respond to complaints within a reasonable time and in a courteous and efficient way, and
• We take appropriate action with the full knowledge of all parties concerned.
  It may be necessary that the concern needs to be discussed with other staff members. You may be invited to a meeting, or a letter/report may be sent to you following the meeting.

Will my concerns be kept confidential?

Your complaint or concern will be treated in a confidential manner and with respect.

It is the College’s policy that complaints made by parents/guardians or caregiver’s should not rebound adversely on their children. Occasionally, it may be necessary to make third parties outside the College aware of the complaint and possibly identify those involved. You would be fully informed and involved in such action.

Confidentiality is a major issue in the handling of complaints. Confidentiality shall be maintained at all stages of the complaint procedure with communication limited to those people who need to be informed in order to resolve he complaint.

Questions that may arise when considering making a complaint, or expressing a concern:

I’m not sure if I should express my concerns?

If you have concerns, we encourage you to raise them. We are here to help.

How do I express my concerns?

• Decide whether the issue is a query, a concern or a complaint. Seek clarification. This will help in finding a solution
• Write down your concerns, or make a list, to ensure that the problem is clear.
• Communicate your concerns calmly, even if you don’t feel it. Being calm will help to get your concerns across more clearly.

Who do I tell?

By Telephone

Speak to the person most closely concerned with the issue, as he/she may be able to sort things out quickly. You may direct the matter to a more senior member of staff, e.g. the House Leader, Director of Wellbeing, Director of Curriculum or the Deputy Principal.

In Writing
As above. Please provide all details including your name, address and contact details.

In Person
Contact the college to arrange a mutually convenient time with the appropriate staff member.

What happens then?
If you raise a concern in person or by telephone, it may be possible to resolve the matter immediately. If the concern was made in writing, we will respond to your concerns as soon as possible.

While information relating to specific complaints will be kept confidentially on file, we would point out that anonymous complaints might not be pursued.

What if I am not happy with the outcome?

We hope that you feel satisfied with the outcome, or at least that your concerns have been fully and fairly considered. However it is sometimes necessary for the Principal to administer an outcome for the welfare of all parties concerned.