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Grievance
Policy
A.
RATIONALE
The
Australian Sign Language Interpreters' Association (ASLIA) acknowledges
that there is a need for two forms of grievance procedure; (a) for consumers
of interpreting services, be they Deaf or hearing; and (b), for interpreters
to lodge a complaint about a fellow interpreter.
ASLIA
also acknowledges that there may be the need for a third "grievance"
channel to be investigated, for interpreters to express concerns about
consumers who seem unaware of the way in which to work with an interpreter.
All
members of ASLIA will be expected to conform to the ASLIA Code of Ethics
and Code of Conduct. All members are also expected to be familiar with
this Grievance Procedure.
While
this policy is to be employed by ASLIA members, it could also be used
as a guideline or set of suggestions for complaints involving non-members.
It should be noted that ASLIA would have no influence in dealing with
grievances involving non-members.
The
purpose of a grievance procedure is to have a method in place to respond
to complaints or other issues of concern, no matter who initiates the
action.
B.
POLICY
Wherever
possible, ASLIA considers it most appropriate that complaints be resolved
locally. A direct approach should be made to the interpreter or interpreters
involved, as well as to the organisation involved. This approach should
ideally be made during the assignment or immediately afterward, where
possible.
The
suggested sequence for dealing with grievances is as follows:
(i)
during or immediately after the event, with the appropriate personnel;
(ii) resolution through contact with the relevant employer of the interpreter
/ s;
(iii) through dealing with the local ASLIA branch; and finally,
(iv) referring to ASLIA (National).
It
should also be noted that relevant interpreting associations (e.g., NAATI,
AUSIT) may be contacted at any stage in the above process for advice or
assistance.
In
situations where the grievance could not be satisfactorily resolved locally,
the policy is as follows:
1.
FOR CONSUMERS OF INTERPRETING SERVICES
1.1. Complaints may be received in a variety of ways:
1.1.1. in person to the President or a member of the Executive,
1.1.2. via the telephone or TTY to the President or a member of the Executive;
or
1.1.3. in writing to ASLIA (either by letter or fax).
1.2. In some cases, the complaint or grievance may be resolved by immediate
action over the telephone, or in the face-to-face situation. However,
these incidents must still be reported to the next meeting of the Executive.
1.3. A written record of the grievance must be kept, not only for ASLIA's
records, but as a record of whatever the resolution of the problem was.
1.4. The record, which will be maintained by the secretary, would contain
details such as:
1.4.1. date of the complaint (or when it was received);
1.4.2. name and contact details of the complainant (which would be kept
confidential);
1.4.3. the nature of the complaint (including name of the subject of the
complaint and details of the matter to be investigated);
1.4.4. a record of the investigations undertaken and the findings and
recommendations;
1.4.5. final action taken; and
1.4.6. the date and manner in which the complainant was informed of the
outcome.
1.5. The investigation procedure adopted will be that of a fact finding
mission. Investigations must be conducted in conditions of respect and
"wanting to get to the bottom" of the problem.
1.6. Once a complaint has been investigated, there are various ways it
may be resolved.
1.6.1. Letter of explanation and / or clarification to the complainant;
1.6.2. Changes in practice may be recommended to the interpreter or service
provider; or
1.6.3. More serious matters or formal complaints may require disciplinary
action as per Clause 3.10 of the ASLIA Constitution.
1.7. On some occasions, investigations may be discontinued. Reasons may
include:
1.7.1. Where a complainant is shown to be vexatious;
1.7.2. Where solutions to a complaint have been put to the complainant
and the Executive of ASLIA believe they can offer no further assistance;
1.7.3. Where a complaint has been investigated previously by another body,
and it is found that the complaint was adequately addressed; or
1.7.4. Where the complaint is more than 12 months old.
1.8. If disputes or complaints cannot be resolved by the Executive of
ASLIA, it may be necessary to go to external mediation, i.e. the Community
Justice Program as it exists in each state and territory.
2. FOR INTERPRETERS TO MAKE COMPLAINT ABOUT A FELLOW INTERPRETER
2.1. A similar type of arrangement to the one outlined above would be
followed, with even tighter controls on confidentiality and consideration
of the feelings of all parties. This is extremely important, considering
the implications of possible gossip about this kind of issue.
2.2. A further note is that all interpreters need to be made aware of
the requirements and expectations of working in a team. There are many
practising interpreters who do not know how to effectively work in a partnership
(especially for para-professional interpreters who do a lot of community
interpreting work on their own), so they may not be aware of what to do
in a team work situation.
2.3. Again, it would be preferable that the dispute is resolved internally,
but, as above, ASLIA is aware of and accepts that sometimes outside agencies
may need to be referred to.
3. IF THE CONSUMER/S DO NOT KNOW HOW TO WORK WITH AN INTERPRETER
3.1. In cases where the interpreter feels that either deaf or hearing
consumers do not know how to work with an interpreter, he or she needs
to have a mechanism by which to refer it on, if appropriate.
3.2. In some instances, the interpreter can do "on the spot"
education if the matter is a simple one of placement, but for bigger issues,
perhaps he or she could refer the individual or agency to a Deafness Awareness
Training officer, if one exists.
C.
PROCEDURE FOR DEALING WITH AN INITIAL COMPLAINT
1. The Complaints Recording Sheet should be completed (this must be completed
for all complaints, even if they are settled immediately over the telephone).
2. The complaint will be evaluated by a quorum of the ASLIA Executive.
3. A letter will be sent to the complainant within four (4) weeks, acknowledging
receipt of the complaint. Further requests for information will be made,
if necessary.
4. An investigation will be initiated, as appropriate. In most cases the
first action will be to send a letter to the interpreter involved, summarising
the complaint. The letter will also invite the interpreter to comment.
5. The interpreter's response will be forwarded to the complainant.
6. No further action may be required.
D.
ON-GOING COMPLAINTS
1. If a complaint cannot be resolved in the above manner, or if an interpreter
has seriously breached the Code of Ethics, then a formal complaints procedure
will be put into effect, in accordance with Clause 3.10 of the ASLIA Constitution.
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