Compliments, Suggestions, Concerns and Complaint Policy

ADR Services Pty Ltd welcomes feedback in the form of compliments, suggestions, concerns and complaints.

We believe that each of these forms of feedback enables us to improve and extend the services we offer and how we offer them. We appreciate that all feedback is a motivation for improvement by our practitioners and support staff.

Feedback is considered seriously and integrated into practice generally results in the delivery of higher-quality, professional family dispute resolution, education and advice.

1.     Definitions

1. “Mediator” means the mediator as nominated by Us that is suitably qualified to assist the parties in the resolution of the Dispute.
2. “Family Dispute Resolution”  has the meaning under S10H of the Family Law Act 1975 being a process in which a family dispute resolution practitioner helps people affected, or likely to be affected by separation or divorce to resolve some or all of their disputes with each other or when helping persons who may apply for a parenting order under s65C to resolve some or all of their disputes with each other relating to the care of children and which the practitioner is independent of all the parties involved in the process and does not include any thing conducted outside of Family Dispute Resolution under the Family Law Act 1975. Family Dispute Resolution does not include enquiries, queries, intake sessions, requests for information, our review of information, intake and assessments, FDR consultations or anything else.
3. “Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner”  has the meaning under  S10G of the Family Law Act 1975.
4. “Family Dispute Resolution Session”  has the meaning under s5 of the Family Law (Family Dispute Resolutions Practitioners) Regulations 2025, where an FDR Practitioner conducts Family Dispute Resolution which occurs within a setting with either one or both the parties. Family Dispute Resolution Session does not include enquiries, queries, intake sessions, requests for information, our review of information, intake and assessments, FDR consultations or anything else.
5. “Intake Session” does not include Family Dispute Resolution and is not a Family Dispute Resolution Session.
6. “NMAS Mediator” means a NMAS mediator conducting an NMAS Mediation, where that NMAS Mediator has been appointed by a court, tribunal or statutory body under the NMAS specifically to assist the parties in the resolution of the Dispute. NMAS Mediator does not include any functions carried out as an FDR Practitioner or any other functions of a Mediator that has not specifically been appointed as a NMAS Mediator. The existence of NMAS on a resume, CV, email signature or advertising does not consequently involved a mediator performing function under NMAS.
7. “the Act” means the Family Law Act 1975.
8. “the Regulations” means Family Law (Family Dispute Resolutions Practitioners) Regulations 2025.
9. “we“, “us” or the “Practice” means ADR Services Pty Ltd (ACN 641 173 828) trading as “Mediation for Families”
10. “you” or the “Parties” means you and the other party to the dispute.

2.     Feedback

In response to feedback we will always endeavour to:

• to listen
• to respectfully ask questions
• to politely respond
• to respond in keeping with our estimated response time
• to keep appropriate records if required

3.     Complaints

In response to complaints we will endeavour to:

• to address each complaint in a balanced approach
• to follow the principles of natural justice
• to maintain confidentiality, within the required scope regarding parties identities and the substance of complaint.
• to learn from and set improvement mechanisms

Should you have a compliment, suggestion, concern and or complaint, ADR Services Pty Ltd would like to hear from you.

We address matters raised within three (3) months of your experience.

Please provide your compliments, suggestions, concerns or complaints in writing through the contact form on ou website.

If you bring a complaint to us verbally, we will ask for more information in writing.

We will respond to you within the advised time frame below which may be a mere approximation only dependant on the complexity of the complaint.

A.    Compliments, Suggestions and Concerns

When you give us a compliment, we will:

• forward it to the those directly or indirectly involved
• consider how to continue this nature of service delivery
•  consider how to provide improved areas of service delivery based on your compliment

When you give us a suggestion, we will:

• pass it to the relevant people within the organisation
• consider the benefits of your suggestion
• analyse the feasibility of integrating your suggestion

When you tell us about a concern, we will:

• Determine, whether in fact your concern should be dealt under our complaints procedure
• Otherwise, we will determine whether you wish your concern to be passed on to the relevant person and consider how to address your concern.

i.         Our internal complaints process

Should you be dissatisfied about a Mediation for Families™ practitioner or panel mediator this is the process that must be followed:

Initial Step

1. In the first instance should you be dissatisfied with any aspect our service, you should bring your concern to the attention of the person that has carriage of your matter in order to discuss and resolve the matter in a prompt, respectful and amicable fashion.
2. After discussing your concern with the person, should you continue to be dissatisfied with the resolution or outcome, upon receiving your complaint in writing, we will request the details and pass the complaint to the relevant person(s) in the organisation.  After referring to any relevant emails or other documents, we will provide a response which could include an explanation, an apology and/or an action to improve the situation or fix it.
3. Our complaints process follows the foundations of natural justice and to meet this requirement the respondent must have the opportunity, in the first instance, to respond to a complaint directly to the person making the complaint. Once this has occurred and if the response does not resolve the complaint then it can be dealt with via our internal complaint process.

Second Step

Our complaints process is confidential meaning anything discussed or agreed to throughout the process remains confidential and cannot be used in any other forum, disseminated to other people or placed on any form of social media or search engine.

When you engage our services you unequivocally agree to the confidentiality of the process.

If your complaint is about a mediator, NMAS mediator or family dispute resolution practitioner, it is important to note anything that has taken place during a mediation cannot and will not be discussed or reviewed, as mediation is a confidential process which you agree to when you engage our services, prior to undertaking any intake program and or mediation conference – please refer to your mediation and confidentiality agreement.

Firstly, you’ll need to provide the outcome or resolution you are seeking.

Once information from yourself and the Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Mediator or NMAS Mediator is provided, the matter is then given to the relevant person in the organisation who will examine all the information and will provide a response and outcome inline with the estimated time frame.

Please note, that, where we have requested information from you and have not received that information within 7 days, due to no response or your inability or unwillingness to provide the information and this impacts our ability to examine the information in order to provide a response or outcome, your complaint will be closed without further notice to you.

B.     Outcomes

The outcome of your complaint can vary and may include:

1. no further action
2. notification to the Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner only
3. information for the referral of your complaint if a different forum is more suitable
4. an apology from the Dispute Resolution Practitioner
5. additional training for the mediator
6. removal of the mediator from our panel of mediators

We will attempt to maintain regular contact with you and with the practitioner, to keep you each informed of progress, to provide any reasonable assistance and, as far as possible, to make sure that you are satisfied with the steps that we have taken.

We will apply a reasonably transparent procedure so all complaints are addressed in a fair, consistent and timely manner.

C.    Timing

Our complaints process aims to deal with complaints as efficiently as possible, which on average can take between eight and twelve weeks.

ii.         Our external complaints process

After following our internal complaint process, should you remain dissatisfied with the outcome, you may have the right to make your compliant to an independent third party.

1. For those that have accessed Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) (FDR Conference)

Under r21(1)-(2)(g) of the Family Law (Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners) Regulations 2025 we advise the following information:

The information provided here constitutes our complaints handling mechanism that we are required to provide you.

For those of whom have accessed Family Dispute Resolution, you are able to refer your complaint to our external complaints handling body, details of which are provided at the bottom of our response to your initial complaint or which can be requested by you in writing to us.

We suggest that any complaints forwarded to the complaints handler include as a minimum:

1. a copy of your Mediation and Confidentiality Agreement;
2. detail as to the nature of your complaint;
3. the date of your FDR conference
4. any specific statutory obligations breached by the FDR Practitioner;
5. copy of any emails;
6. a copy of our response to your complaint;
7. the FRDP Practitioners name; and
8. how you see your complaint being resolved.

Should you have not attended Family Dispute Resolution (FDR), then it is our internal complaints handling process that is available to you.

1. NMAS Mediator Appointed or referred matters

For those of whom have attended a mediation conference, where a NMAS Mediator has been specifically appointed and or referred by a court, tribunal or statutory body or a matter that is specifically referred to by Us as a NMAS mediation and you have followed our complaints handling process and are dissatisfied with the outcome, then you can refer your complaint to our external complaints handling body, details of which are provided at the bottom of our response to your complaint or which can be requested by you in writing to us.

1. For other matters

For matters other than Family Dispute Resolution and an NMAS Appointment or an NMAS matter, our internal complaints handling is the process that is to be followed. All other matters do not meet the requirements for our third party complaints handling.

Questions

Mediation for Families™ firmly believes that a good client and business relationship is based upon mutual understanding. Questions about our complaint policy should be directed through our online form on this website.