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This is a continuation of ICADV’s technical assistance communications spotlighting information that helps to inform domestic violence services providers how they can maximize the resources available to them.
TOPIC: ICADV Complaints and Technical Assistance
TIMELINE: 1 Week
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ICADV Complaints and
Technical Assistance
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Within your organizations, we know that not everything is perfect all the time, just like things are not ever perfect anywhere! And we know that can feel incredibly frustrating. In some cases, those frustrations escalate to the point at which a staff member or even a former survivor that received services from a program feels the need to file a complaint with the program. In this Spotlight, we will look at the different types of complaints that programs may encounter that can be made, what programs’ responsibilities are, and what ICADV staff can do to support both staff and former clients. | |
Grievances are written complaints that clients can file if they believe they are being treated unfairly or that a policy is being violated. The Services Guidelines Manual requires that all membership organizations provide a description of their grievance process to clients during the intake and service assessment which is the initial contact with the client. This creates an atmosphere of transparency and trust between the client and the agency and provides clients with a tool to advocate for themselves when they believe they are being treated unfairly. Provided alongside the grievance policy should also be forms on client rights, responsibilities, and confidentiality. | |
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Services Guidelines Manual Requirements:
✤ A description of the procedure for resolving grievances relating to the provision of services. The grievance procedure must:
• Be given to the supervisor in writing on a form signed by both the supervisor and advocate, and be clearly outlined to the survivor verbally;
• Be designed to allow survivors participating in the program to make complaints without the fear of retaliation;
• Comply with IDVA confidentiality requirements.
✻We also did a Spotlight on Grievances last fall. Check it out here!
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☑ We can assist someone in finding the right person at the relevant to discuss this process with. We can also help a staff member or survivor know where that grievance policy is (i.e. in an agency’s handbook or intake packet).
☑ We can assist admin staff in helping form their grievance policy (but the samples policies in the SGM are perfect 😊).
☑ We can take note of issues a staff member or a survivor has and then talk to the program administrator about how best to tackle the larger issues at hand.
☑ We can offer a listening ear and even guidance on how to have hard conversations in an ethical, professional way.
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☒ We cannot send a staff member or survivor an agency’s grievance policy as we do not keep those on file.
☒ We cannot help someone file a grievance.
☒ We do not have a process for filing a formal complaint from either a current or former employee or even clients.
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Expecting employees to adhere to ethical communication standards in the workplace is critical to our roles as advocacy professionals. From respecting another person to avoiding microaggressions, there is a level of professionalism expected in the way staff behave in and around the workplace. That being said, we are all passionate people working in a passionate field—and this can sometimes lead to conflict. Having some sort of policy or even guidelines in place for how staff should handle these conversations can be helpful in settling conflict and putting energy back into the work. | |
Conflict is natural, and it is not inherently bad. When resolved in a way that provides space for all parties to feel heard and understood, conflict can strengthen relationships by creating a new sense of understanding and connectedness. Below are guidelines one can follow for holding difficult conversations: | |
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Do not talk when emotions are high.
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Decide if the situation warrants a conversation.
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Set up a meeting for an appropriate time.
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LISTEN: If you do not leave the conversation with one new piece of information/understanding about the situation or other party, you did not listen well.
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If the other person is not attacking your character, do not take things personally.
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Give the other person time to process.
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Step away if needed and allow the other party to step away as well.
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Keep the conversation private.
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Remember: It's difficult for the other person, too.
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Use the "3-Day Guide” to hold yourself accountable for having difficult conversations. Within three business days of recognizing a conflict exists, do something about it. This can range from setting up a meeting to having the conversation to asking a supervisor for guidance.
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☑ We can assist in helping someone develop a thought-out guideline for internal conflict! We at ICADV have one as well that we follow.
☑ We can help administration walk through the facts of an incident in order to make the best decision on their own.
☑ We can share facts about what the IDVA says about certain situations or offer guidance on what best practices per the SGM are.
☑ If the conflict is escalating to a boiling point, we can also offer mediation to come to the program and help facilitate a rich conversation.
☑ The ICADV Training Team also has an amazing, well-received, and highly praised Ethical Communications training that can be offered.
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☒ Any punitive measures like insisting that the staff involved be fired. Telling administration to fire someone who behaved “inappropriately” is far outside of our scope. |
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ICADV’s Chief Subrecipient Administration Officer (CSAO) serves as the coordinator of complaints alleging discrimination and civil rights violations. While the CSAO is the Civil Rights Officer for all complaints regarding civil rights violations, they do not have the authority to investigate any alleged discrimination or civil rights violations; but rather, will refer the complaint to the appropriate body for investigation.
Sub-grantee employees (those receiving funds passed through ICADV) who believe that they have encountered discrimination in any term or condition of employment (i.e. hiring selection, promotion, transfer, pay, tenure, discharge, or discipline) may file a complaint with ICADV, who will then forward the complaint to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), Illinois Department of Human Resources (IDHR), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and/or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for investigation. The filing of a complaint with ICADV does not supersede any other remedies or laws.
If a sub-grantee's client, customer program participant, or consumer (“program participant”/survivor) believes that they have been discriminated against or that their civil rights have been violated by the grantee, the individual may file a complaint with ICADV’s CSAO, who will then forward the complaint to ICJIA, and the IDHR or the OCR for investigation. Filing a complaint with ICADV, does not supersede or supplant of any other remedies or laws.
Following the receipt of a civil rights complaint, the CSAO shall then forward the civil rights discrimination complaint to the ICJIA, and IDHR/OCR/EEOC for investigation within five (5) business days of receiving the written complaint from the complainant. The CSAO shall send the complainant a letter acknowledging receipt of the complaint and explaining that ICADV forwarded the complaint to the ICJIA, and IDHR/OCR/EEOC for investigation and resolution.
All civil rights complaints to ICADV must be made in writing. Complaint forms can be found at ICADV’s website. Complaints may be submitted via the ICADV website, mail, or email. Complaints submitted via mail can be sent to: Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Attn: Civil Rights Officer, 806 S. College St; Springfield, IL 62704. Complaints submitted via email can be sent to [email protected].
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☑ The CSAO at ICADV can receive the complaint and send it in to the appropriate authorities. | | |
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☒ Investigate the complaint.
☒ Enact punitive measures on the agency.
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As advocates, we are unnecessarily hard on ourselves. We are service providers, yes. We are also so much more than that—and above all, we are not perfect. You are not going to make every single client you serve happy so go ahead and ditch that notion! You are human and likely, as an advocate, you are spread pretty thin. And although difficult conversations are not always the first thing we want to do, there may come a time when a survivor you are working with wants to file a grievance against your program. Try to remember that, as the saying goes, you can only control how you act and react; you cannot control how someone else acts or reacts. People experiencing an active trauma-response might also not be thinking clearly, and therefore may perceive something in a way it was not intended. What you must also remember here is this: impact outweighs intention. Knowing your agency’s process for a survivor’s right to file a grievance is crucial to your role as an advocate.
With that in mind, as an employee with responsibilities, you also have rights. Do you know your agency’s internal complaint process? Is it written down? The best course of action when in a conflict is to talk directly with a person who you might be having issues with, but if that’s not feasible, you may want to take the issue to a trusted supervisor or to your HR person (if your agency has one). You can reach out to ICADV’s TA team for guidance on who is the best person to talk to, however, please know that we hold no authoritative weight against programs and can only support in that regard. And don’t forget: your agency has a whistleblower policy if you feel there is wrongdoing occurring at your agency. Your agency is prohibited from retaliating against you or any other employee who brings forth disclosure of wrongful practice.
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Going through stressful times at work can be, well, stressful. Experiencing anger and frustration on the job happens, but it is important to use the existing channels for grievances and not post information in moments of anger through social media or other online forums. Calling someone out, posting a passive aggressive message, or using social media to air someone’s “dirty laundry” can only ever lead to more frustrations. Your agency may even have a social media policy that could impact your employment if you do choose to do this. Remember to take deep breaths and feel your feelings, while also remembering there is an expectation of privacy and professionalism to this.
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✤ Services Guidelines Manual:
• Grievances
• Section 2, Chapter 1, Adult Services, page 7
• Section 2, Chapter 4, Adult Services, page 35
• Sample Client Rights and Responsibilities, Confidentiality Agreement and Client Grievance Procedure Form (English)
• Section 2, Chapter 4, Adult Services, page 41
• Sample Client Rights and Responsibilities, Confidentiality Agreement and Client Grievance Procedure Form (Spanish)
• Section 2, Chapter 4, Adult Services, page 46
• Confidentiality
• Section 2, Chapter 1, Adult Services, page 16
✤ Civil Rights Violation Complaint form:
• Remember: to constitute a civil rights complaint, you must have evidence of discrimination.
✤ Ethical communications: Flyer, Outline
✤ TA Spotlight: Conflict Among Clients
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➤ Match Requirements - March 2024
➤ Program and Fiscal Staff Collaboration - March 2024
➤ Equity and Inclusion in Services - April 2024
➤ Economic Justice - May 2024
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☑ Left unchecked, conflict can sometimes lead to poor decision-making and outright disputes which then can lead to complaints. We at ICADV are here to listen to you, and, while we are not an authoritative, punitive figure to investigate complaints, we are a support system for DV Program Staff. | |
Did you enjoy this Spotlight? Have any questions or concerns? Have topics you'd like to see in future Spotlights? We would love to hear from you! Please take this brief survey to tell us about your experience: | |
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