Our customer service commitment

Commitment statement

We support our customers and seek to understand their needs and aspirations. We are responsive, respectful and approachable. We are transparent and accountable and public service leaders. We act with integrity, remain impartial and uphold and value human rights. We listen and respond to requests and feedback in a reasonable time. We strive to achieve service excellence and ensure our customers feel supported, engaged and heard.

We also expect our customers to work positively with us by showing our staff the same respect, responsiveness and integrity.

Our minimum service standards

Providing a contact number for you to call between 9 am and 5 pm from Monday to Friday.
Providing an email for you to contact at any time.
Acknowledging we have received your call or email within 3 business days, and responding to you within 10 business days.
Notifying you if we will not meet our usual timeframe for response.
Providing clear, comprehensive, accurate, and timely information.
Taking responsibility for the customer’s whole experience with our organisation.
Supporting customers to find the information they need.
Communicating in formats which are accessible to everyone.
Using translation or interpreting services for non-English speakers.
Not disclosing your personal information, unless required by law.

Our values and behaviours

- Respond promptly to every customer with equitable and excellent service
- Give honest advice and information based on available facts
- Update customers if we will take longer than expected to respond
- Identify gaps or efficiencies to improve our service
- Apply organisational knowledge to anticipate, understand and respond to customer needs
- Spend funding wisely and for its intended purpose
- Drive value-for-money outcomes
- Deliver our promises and commitments
- Ask questions, raise issues, and report unethical behaviour and misconduct
- Encourage, start and join open conversations and empower others to speak up
- Avoid or manage actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest
- Provide frank and fearless advice to deliver the best outcomes for Victorian schools, students, families and communities
- Give advice and make decisions based on facts, evidence and data
- Provide clear and proper reasons for decisions
- Follow agreed processes and act fairly, consistently, objectively and with equality
- Avoid any influence from offers of gifts, benefits and hospitality
- Provide quality work, whether it’s a small task, individual performance, or a high-value project
- Use work resources responsibly and appropriately, including using, sharing and disclosing information as intended
- Genuinely engage with schools, communities and other customers
- Act, and make lawful and transparent decisions, within our level of authority
- Offer and seek constructive feedback to improve performance
- Treat everyone with respect, consideration, empathy, fairness and courtesy
- Take responsibility for learning about and understanding others’ experiences
- Contribute to creating a safe, mentally healthy and professional environment that celebrates differences
- Maintain confidentiality and manage private information appropriately
- Ensure everyone has the right tools to do their work
- Collaborate and engage constructively when working towards a common goal
- Act genuinely and authentically and match our words with actions
- Model our values and support others to do so
- Proactively build others’ trust
- Celebrate others’ great ideas that improve the way we work
- Help others to be accountable for their actions, decisions and development
- Make choices and take actions that build a safe working environment
- Share knowledge and experience to help build others’ capability
- Be inclusive and embrace equal rights for all
- Consider how human rights are part of our work and anticipate potential impacts
- Include all customers, regardless of their circumstances, background, or identity
- Respect the rights of others and report suspected breaches of human rights
- Promote the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities in how we work

Feedback and complaints

How it works

If you are not satisfied with our service, you can make a complaint or give us feedback.

Please follow these steps.

Step 1: Discuss your complaint with the relevant staff member or team (where applicable).

Step 2: Use the form below to:

lodge a formal complaint or
give us feedback.

We want to know if:

you feel a service or program is unsatisfactory
you did not receive enough information
we did not meet our customer service standards
you were denied respect, dignity or privacy
you have an integrity or ethical concern about our organisation
you have feedback about our procurement activities (for example a tender or request for quote process)
- The Department of Treasury and Finance has further information about public construction complaints on their website (see: Public Construction – Guidance 8.3)

If your complaint is about a school or privacy concern, visit Provide feedback or make a complaint to the Department of Education.

Please contact us via vsba@education.vic.gov.au or 1800 896 950 if you wish to use an alternative method to the feedback and complaints form below.

Giving us feedback

We use feedback to improve our programs and service.

How we respond to feedback

Within 1 business day: Acknowledge we have received your feedback.
Within 3 weeks: Respond to your feedback (if you have requested a response and provided your contact details).
Within 4 weeks: We close the ticket unless you request further information or a review of our response.
Within additional 5 business days: We respond to your further request and close the ticket, if still required.

Making a complaint

We treat all complaints with respect and confidentiality.

In your complaint, please include:

how and when you worked with us
what the issue is
the outcome you expect
your contact details (unless you want to remain anonymous)
any other relevant information.

To resolve complaints, we follow these steps:

Within 1 business day: Acknowledge we have received your complaint.
Within 3 weeks: Thoroughly investigate the complaint and communicate our decisions or corrective actions to you.
Within 4 weeks: Close the complaint, unless you tell us you are not satisfied with our response. You may request further resolution by calling or emailing us within this timeframe.
Within 6 weeks: Engage in further resolution steps with you, if required.
Within 8 weeks: Advise you of our review’s outcome and any further corrective actions.

If you remain unsatisfied, you can refer your complaint to the Victorian Ombudsman.

Give us feedback or lodge a complaint

Education

Updated 31 May 2023