Procedures for Responding to Complaints and Improving
Service Delivery
With regard to
complaints, commencing
1. All families
shall be provided at the commencement of the adoption process, and prior to
entering into any written contract, with a copy of Guatemalan Adoptions NFP’s complaint policy and procedure. Contact information
for the Complaint Registry shall be provided to the client. A copy of Guatemalan Adoptions, NFP’s complaint policy and procedure shall be signed,
witnessed and dated by the family with a copy maintained in the family’s
file. See Exhibit A
2. Rosario Stobbs,
who is a member of the management level staff, shall be designated as the
contact person for any family who has a complaint about how their adoption is
proceeding.
3. Any retaliation
against the person making the complaint is prohibited. This includes but is not limited to: making a complaint; expressing a grievance;
providing information in writing or interviews to an accrediting entity on
Guatemalan Adoptions NFP’s performance; or
questioning the conduct of or expressing an opinion about the performance of
Guatemalan Adoptions NFP.
4. That all
complaints will be responded to within 30 business days of receipt of
same. Guatemalan Adoptions, NFP provides
expedited review of such complaints that are time-sensitive or that involve
allegations of fraud.
5. Guatemalan
Adoptions NFP shall permit any birth parent, prospective adoptive parent or
adoptive parent, or adoptee to lodge directly with the agency signed and dated
complaints about any of the services or activities of the agency or person
including its use of supervised providers that he or she believes raise an
issue of compliance with the Convention, the IAA, or the regulations
implementing the IAA, and advises such individuals of the additional procedures
available to them if they are dissatisfied with the agency’s or person’s
response to their complaint.
5. Within 10
business days of receiving a complaint from a family, Guatemalan Adoptions, NFP
will advise in writing the Department of Children and Family Service’s regional
licensing office or the DCFS Licensing Representative of said complaint and any
resolution thereto. Furthermore,
Guatemalan Adoptions, NFP shall maintain a written record of each complaint
received pursuant to #’s 4 and 5 above and the steps taken to investigate and
respond to it and makes this record available to the accrediting entity or the
Secretary upon request.
6. Guatemalan
Adoptions NFP shall provide to the accrediting entity and the Secretary, on a
semi-annual basis, a summary of all complaints received pursuant to #’s 4 and 5
above during the preceding six months, including the number of complaints
received and how each complaint was resolved, and an assessment of any
discernible patterns in complaints received against the agency or person
pursuant to #’s 4 and 5 above, along with information about what systemic
changes, if any, were made or are planned by Guatemalan Adoptions NFP in
response to such patterns.
7. Guatemalan
Adoptions, NFP shall provide any information about complaints received pursuant
to #’s 4 and 5 above as may be requested by the accrediting entity or the
Secretary.
8. Guatemalan
Adoptions, NFP is a small adoption agency and as such its quality improvement
program shall include systematic efforts to improve its adoption services as
needed. Guatemalan Adoptions, NFP uses quality improvement methods such as
reviewing complaint data, using client satisfaction surveys, or comparing the
agency’s or person’s practices and performance against the data contained in
the Secretary’s annual reports to Congress on intercountry
adoptions.
9. That
resolutions of all complaints shall be reported to Guatemalan Adoptions NFP’s board of directors at the next scheduled meeting or
at an earlier date if necessary.
Exhibit A
It is the hope of Guatemalan Adoptions, NFP that the
adoption process be as uncomplicated and trouble free as possible. However, we recognize that there are times when
misunderstandings or problems can occur and in order to alleviate these
situations, IAL will discuss with the family any complaint that might arise and
try to resolve same within 30 business days of receipt.
In the event the family feels that a concern needs to be
dealt with, all complaints should be specific and made in writing and sent to
the attention of Rosario Stobbs.
Guatemalan Adoptions, NFP