Customer Service Action Plan 2022-2025
From Parole Board
Published on
Last updated on
From Parole Board
Published on
Last updated on
The delivery of effective, quality customer service is a priority for the Parole Board.
The purpose of this Customer Action Plan, and the Customer Charter that accompanies it, is to set out in clear terms how we intend to ensure that we are providing our customers with the highest possible level of service during the period 2022-2025.
This Plan outlines our commitment to the provision and delivery of customer service and how our performance in this respect will be measured and evaluated.
In line with the provisions of the Parole Act 2019, the principal functions of the Parole Board are to:
The Parole Board is committed to providing a quality service to meet the needs of its customers. External customers of the Parole applicant include:
Parole Applicants:
Further information on the parole process for parole applicants is available from the Board, the Irish Prison Service and online at www.gov.ie/paroleboard.
Victims
If you are a registered victim and you are making a submission on a parole application the Board will;
General public
The Board will ensure that its website:
Other Departments and Government Agencies
The Board will work with other Departments and Government agencies to improve co-ordination on service provision and delivery.
The Secretariat (staff) to the Parole Board are internal customers and it is important that the internal customer is acknowledged (See Principle 12 in the following section).
There are 12 Principles of Quality Customer Service for customers and clients of the Public Service. The Parole Board is wholly committed to providing the highest levels of service to all our customers in accordance with those principles.
The 12 Principles of Quality Customer Service:
1. Quality Service Standards: Publish a statement that outlines the nature and quality of service which the customer can expect, and publish it on our website.
2. Equality/Diversity: Ensure the rights to equal treatment established by equality legislation, and accommodate diversity, so as to contribute to equality for the groups covered by the equality legislation (under the grounds of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller Community).
Identify and work to eliminate barriers to access to services for people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, and for those facing geographic barriers to services.
3. Physical Access: Provide clean, accessible public offices that ensure privacy, comply with occupational and safety standards and, as part of this, facilitate access for people with disabilities and others with specific needs.
4. Information: Take a proactive approach in providing information that is clear, timely and accurate, is available at all points of contact, and meets the requirements of people with specific needs. Ensure that the potential offered by Information Technology is fully availed of and that the information available on public service websites follows the guidelines on web publication. Continue the drive for simplification of rules, regulations, forms, information leaflets and procedures.
5. Timeliness and Courtesy: Deliver quality services with courtesy, sensitivity and the minimum delay, fostering a climate of mutual respect between provider and customer.
6. Complaints: Maintain a well-publicised, accessible and transparent system of dealing with complaints about the quality of service provided.
7. Appeals: Similarly, maintain a formalised, well publicised, accessible, transparent and simple to use system of appeal/review for customers who are dissatisfied with decisions in relation to services.
8. Consultation and Evaluation: Provide a structured approach to meaningful consultation with, and participation by, the customer in relation to the development, delivery and review of services. Ensure meaningful evaluation of service delivery.
9. Choice: Provide choice, where feasible, in service delivery including payment methods, location of contact points, opening hours and delivery times. Use available and emerging technologies to ensure maximum access and choice, and quality of delivery.
10. Official Languages Equality: Provide quality services through Irish and/or bilingually and inform customers of their right to choose to be dealt with through one or other of the official languages.
11. Better Co-ordination: Foster a more co-ordinated and integrated approach to delivery of public services.
12. Internal Customer: Ensure staff are recognised as internal customers and that they are properly supported and consulted with regard to service delivery issues.
The Parole Board will endeavour to meet the quality customer service targets set in our Customer Charter to ensure that we continue to deliver the highest levels of service to our customers.
In monitoring our performance, we will:
Our Customer Charter outlines in broad terms the level of service all customers of the Parole Board can expect. To ensure that we can meet the commitments in our Charter, it is important that customers are made aware of the procedures and processes we use. These are defined as our Service Standards and are set out below. To further underpin our commitment to deliver the highest quality of service, the Board will use these Standards as performance indicators in measuring and evaluating our performance.
Quality Service
Equality / Diversity
Physical Access
Information
Timeliness and Courtesy
Complaints
Please note that this complaints procedure does not apply to decisions about parole applications.
Appeals
Consultation
Choice
Official Languages Equality
Better Co-ordination
Internal Customer
All staff of the Secretariat to the Board shall receive the necessary training required to provide a good quality customer service in line with our Customer Charter and Customer Action Plan.
In addition to undertakings given in our Customer Action Plan and Customer Charter, the Parole Board is fully committed to fulfilling all relevant statutory obligations in relation to Data Protection, Equality, Freedom of Information, Prompt Payment of Accounts and Safety, Health and Welfare at Work.
In accordance with the Disability Act 2005 , the Parole Board's Access Officer is Mr Stephen Nolan.
The Access Officer is responsible for providing, arranging or co-ordinating assistance to persons with disabilities who wish to access the services provided by the Parole Board.
The Access Officer also acts as a person of contact for persons with disabilities who wish to access such services.