Unreasonable conduct by complainants can take up substantial time and resources in your workplace. This workshop is designed to help you identify and manage unreasonable conduct, deliver effective prevention and resolution policies and strategies, and support staff members and colleagues impacted by complainant behaviour.
Who should attend
This workshop is for supervisors and managers who are directly involved in setting and implementing complaint-handling policy and strategy. Public, community, and private sector participants are all welcome.
Duration – full-day workshop
This workshop requires a time commitment of 7.5 hours including 15-minute morning and afternoon tea breaks and a 60-minute lunch break. This workshop is scheduled from 9.00 am to 4.30 pm.
Attendee numbers
A maximum of 32 participants may register for this workshop.
Learning outcomes
In this workshop, you will learn to:
- define the characteristics and impacts of unreasonable conduct
- consider why some complainants behave unreasonably
- identify the warning signs, escalations, and safeguards of unreasonable conduct
- implement key strategies to prevent unreasonable conduct
- identify and apply key strategies, principles, and policies to manage the conduct
- reflect on your personal and organisational experiences of unreasonable conduct
- use and apply the key strategies outlined in the Managing unreasonable conduct by a complainant (MUCC) manual,
- use and apply the NSW Ombudsman’s Model Policy in your workplace.
Workshop outline
Characteristics of unreasonable conduct by a complainant:
- what is unreasonable conduct and who can experience it
- when and where can you experience unreasonable conduct
- aims of the MUCC framework
- why do some people behave unreasonably
- different perspectives about behaviour and when a complainant’s conduct becomes unreasonable
- escalating concerns and early warning signs of unreasonable conduct.
Key strategies, principles, and policies to manage the conduct:
- a model policy and procedure for managing unreasonable complainant conduct
- accountability principles
- identity management roles and responsibilities in creating a safe and supportive workplace culture
- apply strategies for recording, reporting, and monitoring incidents of unreasonable behaviour
- recognise signs of stress
- learn what conduct qualifies for medication or restriction of services to an agency.
Practical application of principles:
- the importance of effective communication in preventing and MUCC
- managing the expectations of members of the public
- the strategies and scripts for responding to and MUCC, and applying the strategies using case studies
- dealing with anger and responding to threats, hostility, and aggression
- awareness of the roles and responsibilities of agency management concerning support and supervision of staff and authorising modified or restricted access for people who continue to conduct themselves unreasonably.
About the workshop presenter
NSW Ombudsman are the leaders in complaint-handling training for the public and community sectors. This workshop is based on evidence-based strategies developed collaboratively between the nine Australasian Parliamentary Ombudsman offices. Together, these offices respond to thousands of complaints every year.
Don Sword works in the fields of psychology, social welfare, governance, and law. On behalf of the NSW Ombudsman, Don delivers training on complaint handling to public sector agencies, universities, corporations, and non-government organisations throughout Australia. He is a member of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Guardianship Division), the State Parole Authority and the NSW Legal Aid Review Committee.
Don has served as an Official Community Visitor appointed by the Minister for Disability Services, and as an Official Visitor to forensic patients at the hospital at Long Bay Correctional Centre. He has served as an advisor to the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency, the Mental Health Commission of NSW, and the NSW Justice Disability Advisory Council. He is an advocate for the rights and dignity of people experiencing homelessness.
Register now to avoid disappointment.