The second Professional Standards Forum for 2019, held in Melbourne on 21 November, was hosted by the Professional Standards Authority Acting CEO, Mr John R Rappell. Over 40 delegates heard from an expert panel on the use of complaints data to understand consumer experiences and to drive improvements in the delivery of professional services.
The Professional Standards Councils’ Chair, John Vines OAM, examined the opportunities for associations to use their complaints data to drive improvements in professional standards. The Victorian Legal Services Commissioner, Fiona McLeay, spoke about the Victorian Legal Services Board commissioned research into the legal profession’s complaints data to better understand risk factors to reform regulatory practices. The CEO of SOCAP, Fiona Brown, shared the reasons why people complain and why it is good business to effectively handle complaints.
Nicole Cullen, an expert in complaints handling, delivered a practical risk management workshop for professional standards and complaints management staff. The workshop provided participants with tools to identify the root cause of complaints and to use this information to protect consumers.
The next Professional Standards Forum will be held in March 2020 on a new topic to assist and encourage occupational associations in developing their self-regulatory capacity and to get the best out of operating Professional Standards Schemes.