An Informal Justice Perspective to Complaints Handling
Will be published approx. on 31. December 2026
Book
Hardback
186 pages
978-1-3995-4325-5 (ISBN)
Description
This book rethinks the way complaints should be interpreted by organisations, looking at them as opportunities to improve rather than things to be avoided. Instead, it argues that effective complaint handling can offer another pathway to 'informal' justice as opposed to 'formal' justice primarily delivered by courts and tribunals. It can promote procedural fairness, enable access to justice and save time and costs while improving products and services. With practical case study examples and practical approaches grounded in research, it provides informed guidance on the implementation of a complaints handling framework.
The book draws on an international range of sources, examining complaints handling in the private and public sectors in Australia, Canada and Europe and integrating best practices from specialised complaints handling bodies, including the UK Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Commonwealth Ombudsman in Australia, Federal Ombuds in Canada and the New South Wales Ombudsman. It examines the processes used, how technology is changing the way in which complaints arise and are dealt with, and presents an organisational as well as a complainant perspective.More details
Persons
Tania Sourdin is the Dean of the University of Newcastle Law School and was previously the Foundation Chair and Director of the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation (ACJI) at Monash University in Australia. Professor Sourdin is an expert in her field and has had an extensive career focusing on justice, litigation, conflict avoidance, complaints handling and dispute resolution. She has influenced legislative reform initiatives, standards, and cultural change for dispute resolution. She has written Standards in relation to complaints handling, educational and training frameworks, and certification requirements for complaint handlers as well as complaint toolkits for business. Professor Sourdin has more than 140 publications. Her recent books include Alternative Dispute Resolution, 6th edition (2020), Judges, Technology and Artificial Intelligence (2021) and Digital Technology and Justice: Justice Apps co-authored with Jacqueline Meredith and Bin Li (2020).