Feedback and Complaints
How to give feedback or make a complaint
You can give feedback or raise a complaint in whichever way feels most comfortable to you:
- Email: feedback@fpnsw.org.au
- Anonymously through the form below
- In person at any of our clinics, or phone: 02 8752 4300
Our commitment
FPA is committed to acting in a socially responsible and ethical manner, guided by:
- Human rights — promoting the rights of all people to reproductive and sexual health
- Integrity — maintaining a strong ethical base, accountability and transparency
- Inclusiveness — valuing and respecting diversity without judgement
- Equity of access — ensuring our services reach priority and underserved populations
- Client and community centredness — placing the people we work with at the centre of our work
- Commitment to excellence — maintaining high standards across all of our work
Maintaining trusted, accountable relationships with stakeholders is central to how FPA operates. We welcome feedback — including concerns and complaints — as an opportunity to learn, improve, and remain accountable to the communities and partners we work with.
Feedback and Complaints
FPA welcomes your feedback to help us learn and improve our services wherever possible. For more information, view our Feedback and Complaints Policy.
A member of staff will contact you until the matter is resolved.
Anonymous feedback
We recognise that some people may want to raise feedback or a concern without giving their name — including where there are safety, cultural, or power-related reasons for not wanting to be identified. FPA provides an anonymous feedback and reporting channel for this purpose:
- Anonymous online form
Anonymous feedback is reviewed with the same seriousness as identified feedback. Where a concern is anonymous, we may not be able to follow up directly with the person who raised it, but we will still investigate and take appropriate action and will share any general learnings or changes made as a result where appropriate.
While FPA accepts anonymous feedback, it does limit our ability to provide the person submitting the feedback any details on how we followed up on the feedback.
International Programme
In the Pacific region, FPA works in partnership with government and non-government organisations to build their capacity to strengthen the health system to address areas of reproductive and sexual health need in their communities.
If you wish to provide us with feedback or a complaint, there are many ways you can do this. You can provide feedback to the relevant partner in-country, by submitting a note to their suggestion box or providing your feedback in writing or via email to the relevant partner in-country. You can also talk directly to our project workers, to give them direct feedback.
Depending on the project, you will be given an opportunity to be part of a formal evaluation where you will be asked to comment on your satisfaction with the services provided, either as part of a focus group, a one-on-one interview or on a form.
You can also submit a complaint directly to the Director of International Development and Learning (DIDL):
- Phone: +612 8752 4308
- Email: international@fpnsw.org.au.
- You can also provide feedback anonymously through the form below
Reports relating to safeguarding, abuse, or exploitation concerns are handled under FPA's Protection and Safeguarding Policy and reported to DFAT in line with our incident reporting obligations, while protecting the confidentiality of anyone involved wherever possible.
Complaints regarding alleged breaches of the ACFID Code of Conduct can be made to the ACFID Code of Conduct Committee via www.acfid.asn.au.
Education Services
Course participants are encouraged in the first instance to raise any issues regarding their assessment or progression through a course with their course lead. All issues raised will be reviewed by the course lead and the Manager Education.
If the matter cannot be resolved, or the participant chooses not to raise the issue directly with their course lead, the appeals procedure applies. Applications for appeals must be made in writing, to feedback@fpnsw.org.au, outlining their reason(s) for appealing a decision. Family Planning NSW will respond in writing to the participant, acknowledging the receipt of their appeal and outlining the process for review of the issue raised.
What happens to the complaint?
Complaints are managed in line with our Incident Management Procedure:
- A senior staff member reviews the complaint and contacts you (unless it was submitted anonymously)
- They will confirm the matter is being investigated and agree when you will next hear from us
- If your complaint is about a specific individual, that person is not involved in handling it
- Your confidentiality is protected throughout the process
- Once the matter has been reviewed, we will contact you again to discuss findings and any action taken
Our aim is to resolve every matter in a way that is fair, timely, and acceptable to the person who raised it.
Not satisfied with our response?
If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, you may wish to raise your concerns with the relevant body such as:
- NSW Health Care Complaints Commission in relation to our clinical services
- Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) in relation to our vocational education programs
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) in relation to our medical education programs
- Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) in relation to our International Program. Family Planning NSW is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and a signatory to its Code of Conduct. The Code requires members to meet high standards of corporate governance, public accountability and financial management. Complaints regarding alleged breaches of the ACFID Code of Conduct can be made to the ACFID Code of Conduct Committee via www.acfid.asn.au.
FPA is committed to best practice in corporate governance and compliance and consistent demonstration of behaviours consistent with our values by those who represent FPA.
Where a person feels unable to raise a concern through our standard feedback mechanism because of reasonable grounds to fear reprisal, they may use the mechanism provided by our Whistleblower Policy.
