Complaint Policy

Hephzibah Children’s Association will provide a written Complaint Policy and Procedure, in accordance with Rule 401.595 Procedures, to all prospective parties including, but not limited to, birth parents and adoptive parents prior to the initiation of service provision.

This complaint policy is not to be used by foster parents for alleged violations of the Foster Parent Law or other complaints that are not covered by an already existing grievance or appeal process. It cannot be used to address issues that are covered by the service appeal process, the appeal process for indicated cases of child abuse and/or neglect, the process for appealing licensing investigation findings or license revocations, etc. For issues relating to a violation of Foster Parent Law, please refer to our procedure Foster Parent Grievances.

Download Complaint Policy and Procedure (December 2012)

Revised: November 2012

• Hephzibah will initiate an investigation of any written complaint within two days of receipt of the written complaint. Any party with special needs who requests assistance to put their complaint into writing will be provided with assistance by an agency staff person. The Complaint Policy and Procedure will also be provided in Spanish to any Spanish-speaking clients.
• Hephzibah will maintain written documentation of all complaints received.
• Hephzibah will finalize the complaint investigation within 10 business days after complaints are received. The resolution of any and all complaints will be sent in writing to the complaining party and the licensing representative for Hephzibah. If circumstances exist which require additional time for resolution, an interim report will be provided to the complaining party and to DCFS at the 10-day point, with a final report submitted to all parties at the conclusion of the investigation.
• All parties involved with Hephzibah have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
• Hephzibah will not retaliate against any complainants.
• The Director of Family Based Services at Hephzibah will accept and coordinate complaint investigations.
• The resolutions of all complaints will be reported to the agency’s executive director and the Quality Assurance Committee of the Board of Directors at its next meeting. Any resolutions reported to this committee of the Board of Directors will include copies of the written complaint and the agency’s written response. The reports of complaint resolutions that are made to the Board of Directors will be reflected in the meeting minutes.