Providing feedback about disability services

Find out how to provide feedback about disability supports and services, and what happens after.

Providing feedback about your Disability Support Services (DSS) funded supports, helps us to improve our services.

Another person can support you or provide feedback on your behalf, such as a family member, whānau, friend or disability advocate. 

You can contact the Health & Disability Advocacy Service external for free, independent and confidential advice and support.

Disability providers have processes for managing feedback. Contact them first. They are there to support you.

If you are not satisfied with the response from the provider, or if you do not want to contact them, you can:

provide feedback to DSS about providers we fund.
contact other agencies including the Ombudsman, Health and Disability Commissioner, Human Rights Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner.

Provide feedback directly to your service provider

It is often quicker and easier to talk with your service provider first. They are there to support you and may be able to respond to your feedback straight away.

You can have a family member, whānau, friend, or an advocate present when you meet with your service provider.

You can contact the Health & Disability Advocacy Service external for free, independent and confidential advice and support.

Details of your feedback will only be shared with the people directly involved.

Provide feedback to DSS

We want to hear about your experience with your service provider or disability supports. Your honest feedback helps us assess what is going well for you and where the opportunities are to make improvements. This can include positive feedback, suggestions, ideas, concerns or complaints.

To give feedback, please download and fill in the following form:

Feedback Form for support and Services (DOCX 94 KB).

If you decide that you wish to make a complaint instead, more information on that process is available here.

You can send us your completed form:

by email: quality@msd.govt.nz
by free post to: Feedback Disability Support Services – Ministry of Social Development, Reply Paid: 262204 PO BOX 1556 Wellington 6140

If you prefer to talk to someone or are unable to fill out the form, please contact us by:

calling 0800 566 601(Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm)
email us at quality@msd.govt.nz

All feedback will be taken seriously. If you provide feedback to DSS about a service or provider that we do not fund, we are unlikely to be able to help you. But someone will tell you who to contact instead.

What to expect when you provide feedback

The information you give us is confidential. If you do not feel comfortable, you do not have to tell us your name.

If you let us know about any concerns, you can expect that:

there will be someone you can talk with about your concerns
your concerns will be taken seriously
you will be treated with respect
your privacy and confidentiality will be respected
your concerns will be resolved as quickly as possible
you will know the outcome
if you provide feedback, it will not negatively affect the care you receive.

Get support

You can ask an advocate, friend, support worker, family member or whānau to help you.

These services can support you:

Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service external: If you need support with making a complaint, you can contact the Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service, a free independent service that offers advice and support related to the complaints process. You can contact them by phone on 0800 555 050 or email at advocacy@advocacy.org.nz.

New Zealand Relay Service external: You can contact the New Zealand Relay Service for help making a complaint. Relay services are for people who are Deaf, hearing impaired, Deafblind, and for those with speech impairments who want to communicate with friends, family or organisations. You can phone them on 0800 771 771.

What happens after you give feedback to DSS

If you give feedback to DSS, we will aim to contact you as soon as possible.

We will let you know next steps via email. If you would prefer to be contacted another way, for example by phone, please let us know.

What to do if you are not satisfied with the outcome

If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you can contact:

or go to their website hdc.org.nz external

The Human Rights Commission

Freephone 0800 49 68 77

email infoline@hrc.co.nz

or go to their website tikatangata.org.nz external

The Privacy Commission

Freephone 0800 80 39 09

email enquiries@privacy.org.nz

or go to their website privacy.org.nz external

Make a complaint about DSS policies or staff members

It is your right to give feedback or to make a complaint about DSS policies or staff members. To make a complaint about the Disability Support Services or our staff, please visit our make a complaint about DSS page.

Updated on 17 December 2024