Client Rights & Complaints

Client Rights

At the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre (WOCRC), we respect our clients and take their rights seriously. Clients have the right to:

  • Be treated with courtesy and respect, and to be free from mental, physical, and financial abuse by anyone providing service.
  • Receive care that is professional. Clients also have the right to know the qualifications of staff who work at the Centre.
  • Be treated as individuals, with their unique needs and preferences respected. This includes respect for ethnic background, religion, language, family, culture, sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity.
  • Be informed about the type of service being offered before it begins. To give valid consent, clients must understand what the service involves, including its benefits and risks. Clients must be physically and mentally able to give this consent.
  • Receive service in French if the program is designated as bilingual (English/French).
  • Take part in assessing their needs, creating a service plan, and reviewing or changing the plan as needed.
  • Be informed about other services that meet their needs.
  • Share concerns or suggest changes to their service without fear of pressure, discrimination, or punishment.
  • To consent to or refuse any WOCRC service, and to be informed of other options.
  • Be informed of the limits to confidentiality, including situations involving harm to self or others or legal duties.
  • Have their records kept private as required by law. Privacy will be respected across the WOCRC. Information collected during service will be kept confidential.
  • Make a complaint about their service at the WOCRC.
  • Ask to correct factual errors in their file.
  • Request that their information be shared with another person or organization.
  • Know if they are receiving services from a student or volunteer, and to say no to those services.

These rights, along with Guiding Beliefs, are a key part of how we serve the community.

Client Complaints

Policy

At WOCRC, we try hard to meet client needs. Still, there may be times when clients are not happy with the service they receive.

Si une correspondance est reçue en français de la part d’un client, la politique Plaintes de la clientèle doit être suivie et adressée en français. (If a client sends a complaint in French, the Client Complaint Policy must be followed and responded to in French.)

Clients have the right to share complaints and get a response. Complaints may include (but are not limited to):

  • Not being eligible for a service
  • A service being left out of a care plan
  • How much service is provided
  • A service ending
  • Concerns about the quality of a service
  • Belief that their rights have been violated
  • No access to French services in bilingual programs

Procedure

  • If possible, the client should first talk to the staff or volunteer involved.
  • If the client is not able or does not feel comfortable doing so, or is not happy with the response, they can speak to that person’s supervisor. If the complaint is about the Executive Director, it can be sent to the Board Chair.
  • The supervisor will collect information, investigate, and make a decision within two weeks. This may involve reading documents and talking to the client and staff or volunteers. The supervisor will complete a Client Complaint Report.
  • Support will be offered to both the client and the staff or volunteer. The staff or volunteer will be told about the complaint, and the client’s name will be shared.
  • The client may appeal the supervisor’s decision by writing to the Executive Director within five business days of getting the decision. If the complaint involves the Executive Director and a decision has already been made by the Board Chair, that decision is final and cannot be appealed.
  • The Executive Director will do a second investigation and make a decision within two weeks. A written report will explain the facts, the analysis, and the conclusion.
  • If the client is still not satisfied, they can appeal in writing to the Board of Directors within five business days of receiving the Executive Director’s decision. If the Board Chair has already decided on a complaint about the Executive Director, that decision is final and cannot be appealed.
  • A summary of client complaints is reported to the Board of Directors each year. If a serious complaint could put the client or organization at risk, the Executive Director will report it to the Board right away through the Executive Committee.