The FSSNF lead agency contract with the Department requires a responsive client complaint process. Recipients of FSSNF contracted services have certain rights. One of these rights is the ability to file a complaint. All clients shall be verbally informed of this right upon initiation of services, provided information describing the procedure and a copy of the Subcontractor’s client complaint guidelines shall be posted in each residential/shelter group care facility’s lobby or waiting area. A complaint is defined as a condition wherein an individual feels that he or she has been significantly treated unfairly or unjustly. Statutory requirements and judicial mandates may not be addressed as a complaint under this procedure. In order to resolve a complaint, a client has the responsibility to initiate the complaint. Complaints not resolved among the Subcontractor’s supervisor shall be considered a grievance thereon.
All complaints should be resolved in the following manner or equivalent thereto:
First, a complaint may be received by a counselor, supervisor, residential/shelter group care director, or FSSNF’s staff or board member. If no counselor exists, complaints should be immediately directed to FSSNF’s Director of Community Development prior to a notification to FSSNF’s CEO.
If the complainant has a counselor, the complainant should be immediately directed to the counselor’s supervisor who should then attempt to contact the client within twenty-four (24) working hours. A meeting with the client should be scheduled within two (2) working days to discuss and attempt to resolve the issue. If the complaint is satisfactorily resolved at this stage, the supervisor should document the complaint, the discussion, and the agreed-upon resolution.
Should the complaint not be resolved, the supervisor shall advise the client to file a written complaint (complaints may be handwritten on a plain sheet of paper or on a Client Complaint Form) with his/her Subcontractor’s counselor supervisor or the FSSNF Quality Assurance staff member assigned to the Subcontractor. The Subcontractor supervisor should inform the client that complaints may also be filed with the Department’s Client Relations Office at fax number 904-723-5389. All clients should be informed that no retribution may be taken against any individual filing a complaint with the Subcontractor or DCF.
A written copy of the disposition should be maintained by the service provider and a copy is to be forwarded to the Director of Quality Management for tracking in the State’s DCF Tracker Correspondence Tracking System. When FSSNF receives a complaint that was not initiated through the Department Tracker, FSSNF will provide a copy of the complaint to the Department Client Relations Office.
If the complaint is still not resolved, the Subcontractor counselor supervisor shall forward the written complaint along with a summary of the efforts to resolve the complaint to the Subcontractor’s director of the residential/group care facility.
Within two (2) working days of receiving the complaint, the Subcontractor’s director should attempt to contact the client to schedule a meeting to review and discuss the issue. If the complaint is satisfactorily resolved at this stage, the administrator should send the client a letter summarizing the discussion and the agreed-upon resolution. In the event that the client is not satisfied with the resolution proposed by the Subcontractor’s director, the client may then take up the complaint with the Board of Directors of the Subcontractor in accordance with the applicable provisions of this client complaint procedure. Each Subcontractor shall establish and publish to their clients a written procedure where under client complaints may proceed to the agency’s Board of Directors as a final step in the procedure. Only after a client has exhausted the available Subcontractor complaint procedure may any client complaint proceed to the next step.
A written copy of the disposition should be maintained by the agency and a copy forwarded to the FSSNF Quality Assurance office.
If the complaint is not resolved by the Subcontractor administrator, the administrator should then notify the FSSNF CEO within two (2) working days and schedule a conference to discuss the complaint. The FSSNF CEO and the Subcontractor director shall then conduct a review of the complaint. Within five (5) working days of the conclusion of the review, the client should be sent a disposition letter from the CEO.
A written copy of the disposition should be maintained by the Subcontractor and a copy forwarded to the FSSNF Quality Assurance office.
If the complaint is unable to be resolved with the CEO, the Board President should be notified within five (5) working days and schedule a conference to discuss the complaint. The President of the Board will appoint three members of the Board of Directors to act as a Grievance Committee.
The Board’s Grievance Committee will conduct a grievance review and may at their discretion review documents and/or conduct interviews to reach a decision. A majority vote by the Committee will prevail as their recommendation.
Within fifteen (15) working days from the date the Committee is appointed, the Committee shall make a written recommendation to the Board. Fifteen (15) working days from the date the Board of Directors receives the recommendation, the Board should provide the complainant with a written decision.
The Board of Directors’ decision will be considered final and may not be appealed further. A copy of the written disposition shall be maintained by the agency and a copy shall be forwarded to the FSSNF Quality Assurance office.
Each Subcontractor shall maintain a locked receptacle in an area available to the public for complaints and/or suggestions to be submitted.
The originals are to be forwarded to the FSSNF Quality Assurance office and entered into a DCF Tracker Correspondence Tracking System. The DCF Tracker database will be shared with the Department of Children and Families for analysis and tracking purposes. When FSSNF receives a complaint that was not initiated through the DCF Tracker, FSSNF will provide a copy of the complaint to the DCF Client Relations Office.
All official assignments/inquiries received by the DCF regarding client complaints will be forwarded to the FSSNF CEO, who shall forward them to the appropriate Subcontractor director. The same process, or equivalent, as suggested above should be implemented for the resolution of these complaints.
The Administrative Assistant to the CEO of FSSNF will maintain a client grievance/complaint log with the type of grievance received and subsequent outcome.
Clients and potential clients of FSSNF and its contracted agencies, who believe that they have been discriminated against may file a written complaint of discrimination within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory act with/or:
(a) Assistant Staff Director for Civil Rights
DCF Office of Inspector General
Office of Civil Rights
1317 Winewood Blvd.
Building 5, 2nd Floor
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700
(850) 487-1901; TDD (850) 922-9230
(b) United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Attention: Office for Civil Rights
Atlanta Federal Center, Suite 3B70
61 Forsyth Street, S.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8909
(404) 562-7881 or TDD (404)331-286