Contracted Vendors/Service Providers Feedback/Complaints

The Importance of Your Input

The Alameda County Probation Department’s (ACPD’s) mission is to support and restore communities by providing compassionate supervision and accountability to justice-involved youth and adults and provide preventive and rehabilitative services through evidence-based practices and collaborative partnerships.  To do that, we need the feedback and input of clients who have received services, and even more importantly, to hear complaints regarding these services.  Every report is treated respectfully and seriously.

The Alameda County Probation Department permits grievances lodged by anyone regardless of immigration status and to assess whether such grievances may lead to any negative immigration consequences.

The Alameda County Probation Department allows for immigrants and refugees regardless of status to lodge grievances when no negative immigration consequences would result.

The Alameda County Probation Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of immigration status, citizenship status, or refugee status.

Submitting Feedback/Complaints

The Alameda County Probation Department (ACPD) welcomes your feedback and/or complaints about its contracted vendors/service providers. We also believe in a fair and equitable process and provide an opportunity for our vendors to address any complaints that have been brought forward unless there is a clear conflict of interest. When submitting a complaint, please be prepared to provide as much detail as possible (e.g.: names, dates, times, locations, etc.) to assist us in thoroughly investigating the matter.

We ask that the following steps be taken in sequence:

• Submit your written complaint directly to the contractor's Program Manager, citing all your concerns with specific details (complaints could be submitted in any written format or by using the Alameda County Probation Department Public Complaint Form).
• Anticipate a follow-up phone call, email, or meeting request within 7-14 business days from the ACPD.

You can submit your complaint directly to ACPD in the following ways:

• In person - At any Probation Department location within Alameda County
• By e-mail - At Probationclientfeedback@acgov.org
• By mail - Send a letter describing your complaint to the following address:
  Alameda County Probation Department
  1111 Jackson Street
  Oakland, CA 94607
• By telephone- At (510) 268-7981

The Process

If your feedback involved a complaint, ACPD will look into the matter.  The review process may require you to participate in an interview. During the interview, the following things may be required of you:

• You may be recorded, videotaped, or asked to write a statement.
• You will be asked for names of witnesses and other employees and/or clients that may know facts about your complaint; and
• Photographs may be taken of any injuries, damage or evidence related to the nature of the complaint.

Disposition

Feedback and complaints can be made anonymously, without giving your name; however, you cannot be informed as to any results if you choose to remain anonymous. If you make your identity known, you will be advised of the disposition of each complaint.

ACPD will be notifying you of the results of the complaint.

We make every effort to resolve complaints as soon as possible, but generally one can expect to receive written information on the disposition of the complaint within 30 days of the completion of the review of the complaint, given a full name and address is provided.