City of Onkaparinga wins Excellence in Customer Service or Experience for their Customer Access Restriction Procedure.

At the City of Onkaparinga, customer service isn’t just about answering questions or resolving requests - it’s about creating safe, welcoming spaces for everyone. But when staff began experiencing an increase in unacceptable behaviour across libraries, community centres, and front counters, the team knew they needed to act.

The result was the Customer Access Restriction Procedure (CARP) - a clear, person-centred approach to managing harmful behaviour while maintaining fairness, empathy, and inclusion.

Now recognised with the Excellence in Customer Service or Experience Award at the 2025 LG Professionals SA Leadership Excellence Awards, the initiative has set a new standard for how councils can balance accountability with compassion.

A safer, kinder way forward

The project began in response to a simple but pressing question: how do we keep our staff and customers safe, while still treating everyone with dignity?

For Customer Liaison Officer Rory Fitzsimons, who led the development of the procedure, the answer came through humanising the issue.

“Incidents of unacceptable behaviour were affecting both staff and customers,” Rory explains. “But rather than seeing people as problems to be managed, we looked at what might be driving those behaviours - mental health, cognitive impairments, life pressures - and how we could respond with empathy, not just enforcement.”

The result was a carefully structured process that gives staff the confidence and clarity to respond when issues arise. It includes defined steps - from verbal warnings to written notices to temporary access restrictions - while also offering individuals a clear path to re-engage once behaviour improves.

What makes the CARP so unique is where it came from. “This wasn’t developed by the Work Health and Safety team, as you might expect,” Rory says. “It came from Customer Relations, which meant we could design it through a person-centred lens rather than a purely procedural one.”

Building confidence, trust, and empathy

Since implementing the CARP, the impact has been both tangible and cultural. Customers now report feeling safer in community spaces, confident that unacceptable behaviour won’t be ignored.

“For staff, the change has been just as powerful,” Rory says. “Before, people often felt powerless or unsupported. Now, they know exactly what to do and that their safety matters.”

The procedure has also reshaped how people across the organisation talk about behaviour. “We’ve seen a real shift - from judgement to understanding,” he says. “People are more likely to ask, ‘what’s behind this behaviour?’ rather than dismiss someone as difficult.”

That change in mindset, he adds, has been one of the most rewarding outcomes of all. “When empathy becomes part of your workplace culture, everyone benefits.”

The people behind the procedure

The success of the CARP is the result of deep collaboration across the organisation. Library staff, youth workers, community safety officers, and leadership teams all contributed their experiences to ensure the process was both practical and lawful.

Key contributors included Katherin, Team Leader at Noarlunga Library, who helped test and refine the procedure; Jenna and Jeff from the Youth Team, who provided insight into age-appropriate approaches; and Ian Manager, of Community Safety and Property, whose expertise ensured the procedure aligned with legal and by-law requirements.

“It was truly a team effort,” Rory says. “Everyone brought their perspective, and that made the final product something we could all be proud of.”

Recognition that sparks momentum

For Rory and the team, the award has been more than a proud moment - it’s created momentum for what comes next.

“This recognition built trust in the work we’re doing,” he says. “It’s opened doors to new opportunities, including leading the development of our Customer Experience Framework. That framework is all about clarity, simplicity, empathy, and consistency - principles that came directly from what we learned through the CARP.”

The procedure itself continues to evolve under the stewardship of the Work Health and Safety team, with new tools like a property alert system being developed to help protect staff who visit homes.

Putting purpose before performance

When asked what advice he’d give others considering nominating next year, Rory’s answer is characteristically humble.

“Go for it - but don’t do it for the award,” he says. “Do the work well, for the right reasons. If recognition comes, that’s a bonus. The real reward is knowing you’ve made a difference.”

And that difference is clear.

By humanising a complex issue, empowering staff, and fostering empathy at every level, the City of Onkaparinga’s Customer Relations and Libraries Team have not only improved customer experience - they’ve redefined what it means to care for a community.

Thank you to our partner SOLO Resource Recovery for sponsoring the Excellence in Cross Council Collaboration Award.

GIF: Features a variety of images from the Customer Access Restriction Procedure project, and those representing the project at the LG Professionals SA Leadership Excellence Awards Gala Dinner.