You have a right to complain if you have received or sought services from Anishinaabe Abinoojii Family Services, if you are a caregiver or you are in Child in Care.
If you have a complaint about the services you’ve received or the conduct of our staff, we want to hear from you.
Anishinaabe Abinoojii Family Services exists to serve the children and families of our member communities. If you or your family is seeking or receiving services from Anishinaabe Family Services, we are required by law to respond to any complaint you have about our services or the conduct of our staff.
We want to know about your concerns so we can continue to improve our services and earn the good will and trust of the people we serve. To be sure we respond to all complaints fairly, consistently and with respect, we have a process in place to consider and satisfy your concerns.
There are now formal and informal processes to be considered when making a complaint about our services.
INFORMAL SERVICE COMPLAINT PROCESS
Do not hesitate to let our staff know if you are dissatisfied with our services or the way you have been treated. It is your right to complain and our staff is here to assist you. The goal of our staff is to address your concerns.
The Supervisor will arrange to meet to discuss your concerns. The meeting will be documented and kept on record with the Executive Director. If this process does not satisfy your concerns, you may initiate a formal process to the Executive Director.
FORMAL SERVICE COMPLAINT PROCESS
A formal service complaint process can be initiated by submitting your complaint in writing.
The complaint must include:
- The nature of the complaint or disagreement;
- Date(s) of incident(s);
- Who is affected and how;
- Possible solution(s);
- Name and contact information of the complainant.
Submit written correspondence to:
Executive Secretary, Executive Office
Anishinaabe Abinoojii Family Services
20 Main Street South
Kenora, ON P9N 1S7
Your complaint can be resolved by either a Contemporary process (The Formal Complaint to a Society’s Internal Complaints Review Panel – ICRP is available on the ministry’s website at www.ontario.ca/page/submitting-complaint-about-child-welfare-services); or an Anishinaabe Traditional Resolution Process.
Steps to Complaint Process:
- Upon receipt, complaint is referred to Executive Director for review;
- Within 7 days, upon determination of eligibility, you will be notified if the Naaisidoon Internal Review Panel will review your complaint.
- Within 14 days, a meeting with Naaisidoon Internal Review Panel will be scheduled.
- Within 14 days from date of meeting, a written summary of the outcome will be sent to you.
- You may bring a support person to the meeting.
If you are not satisfied with this decision, you may take your complaint to an outside party: the Child and Family Services Review Board. In the event that you are unable to wait for the decision of the Naaisidoon Internal Review Panel, you may be able to apply directly to the Child and Family Services Review Board.
You may choose to take your complaint to the Child and Family Services Review Board (CFSRB) at any time if you believe the agency:
- Refused to proceed with your complaint
- Did not follow the complaint review process or timelines
- Did not give you reasons for a decision that affects you
- Did not give you the opportunity, where appropriate, to be heard and represented when decisions that affected your interests were made
- Did not give the opportunity to be heard when you had concerns about services you were receiving
- Inaccurately recorded something in your file
If you have a complaint related to Service delivery, please submit in writing to the address below:
Anishinaabe Abinoojii Family Services
20 Main Street South
Kenora, ON P9N 1S7
www.aafs.ca
Attention: Executive Secretary
Phone: (807) 468-6224
Fax: (807) 468-9846