Compliments and complaints

Reporting child abuse

If you believe a child is in immediate danger or a life-threatening situation, call Triple Zero (000).

If you have a reason to suspect a child in Queensland is experiencing harm, or is at risk of experiencing harm or being neglected, talk to someone about your concerns:

During normal business hours - contact your nearest Regional Intake Service.
After hours - contact the Child Safety After Hours Service Centre on 1800 177 135. The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Give us a compliment

To tell us about something we’ve done well, you can submit a compliment by:

contacting your local Child Safety Service Centre.
submitting an online form
sending an email
calling 1800 080 464 (free call).

Make a complaint

Complaints about the department or a funded service provider

You can make a complaint about any aspect of the services or actions of the department or our staff.

If you have a complaint or a concern, there are some steps you can take to help us help you:

Go local first: Many concerns can be resolved quickly and easily by speaking with local staff. Please contact your local Child Safety Service Centre if your concerns are about them.
Act quickly: Please tell us about the problem as soon as possible. The earlier you tell us, the sooner we can act.
Make your complaint clear: To help us assess and resolve your complaint, please give us details of the issues, dates, phone calls and any other relevant information. Tell us the outcome you are seeking or the action that you want us to take

Do you need an interpreter?

If you require an interpreter, please call the Translationz on (07) 3123 4887 and request to be transferred to the government customer service phoneline on 1800 080 464

If your matter can't be resolved at a local level or you are dissatisfied with the response to your concerns, please contact your Complaints Unit.

You can make a formal complaint by:

using the online form
emailing Child Safety or Disability Services and Seniors
phoning 1800 080 464 (Child Safety) to reach a 24/7 government customer service phoneline or phoning 1800 491 467 (Disability Services and Seniors)
posting your feedback to:

Complaints Unit
Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services
Locked Bag 3405
Brisbane Qld 4001

Anonymous complaints

Anonymous complaints will be accepted.

However, in circumstances where an anonymous complaint is received, we may find it difficult to thoroughly assess or respond to the complaint if there is not enough detail.

Privacy and your personal information

In the course of investigating and taking action in response to complaints, personal information will be collected and handled in accordance with the 11 Information Privacy Principles in the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld).

After you have lodged a complaint

We understand the importance of listening and responding to your feedback.

Once we have received your complaint, the departmental officer managing your complaint will keep you informed of its progress. You will receive a written response to the concerns you have raised within 30 business days.

The departmental officer will seek your feedback of how your complaint was managed and whether you are satisfied with the outcome.

If you are unhappy with the outcome

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your complaint, you can request our Complaints Unit conduct an internal review.

Once you have completed the complaints process with the department, and you remain concerned, you can pursue an external review:

If your concerns were related to an administrative decision of the department, you can contact the Queensland Ombudsman by phone 1800 068 908 or send an email.
If you are dissatisfied with our response to your human rights complaint, you can contact the Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC) by phoning them on 1300 130 670 or send an email.

NDIS complaints

NDIS participants can contact the NDIS directly about issues relating to their plan or if they are dissatisfied with the services they are receiving from the NDIS.

NDIS participants who have a concern about a NDIS service provider can make a complaint directly to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

Privacy complaints

Privacy complaint is a 'complaint about an act or practice of the department in relation to your personal information that is a breach of the department's obligations under the Information Privacy Act 2009'.

See Information privacy for more information.

Human rights complaints

Complaints under the Human Rights Act 2019 (Human Rights Act) can only be made about alleged breaches that have occurred after 1 January 2020.

The Human Rights Act requires public entities, including this department, to act in a way that is compatible with human rights obligations when delivering services and interacting with the community.

There are 23 human rights set out in the Human Rights Act.

If you believe that the department has breached your human rights, you can make a complaint directly to the department through our complaints process.