Complaints and Appeals Policy

Introduction

The Complaints and Appeals Policy was formulated cognisant of the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015, to ensure that all complaints and appeals are recorded, acknowledged and dealt with fairly, efficiently and effectively.

Scope and Application

The Complaints and Appeals Policy is applicable to all employees of the College, learners and other stakeholders. It provides guidelines for handling complaints and appeals and must be adhered at all times. This policy has been developed to address complaints and appeals including appeals against decisions made by the College.

The College will apply this policy consistently and fairly across all programs and any learner enrolled into a program at the College. 

Overview

The purpose of this policy is to specify the conditions under which learners and other stakeholders may feel the need to express their dissatisfaction with services provided or decisions made.

Policy

The College understands that, on occasion, there may be instances of dissatisfaction and acknowledges that the cause/s must be addressed and rectified promptly. In such instances, the College invites feedback from the dissatisfied party so that a resolution is found, and any outcomes are considered for inclusion into the College’s continuous improvement cycle.  The College strives to address any and all complaints and appeals in a fair, constructive and timely manner.

The College ensures it embeds the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness in its operations by:

• Dealing with complaints and appeals promptly, including ensuring that complainants and appellants remained informed of the process following the submission of a complaint or appeal.
• Maintaining privacy and confidentiality in the investigation of all complaints and appeals
• Providing complainants and appellants the opportunity to present their case
• Enabling complainants and appellants the opportunity to participate in moderation if necessary
• Operating in a fair and unbiased manner in handling all complaints and appeals
• Maintaining a register of all complaints and appeals submitted, including outcomes
• Ensuring all complaints and appeals are acknowledged
• The College acknowledges that a student, who has a complaint or appeal, has the right to raise the complaint or appeal and expect that every effort will be made to resolve it in accordance with this policy, without prejudice or fear of reprisal or victimisation.

Overview of the complaints process

• Contact the College administration via email or telephone to request a Complaints/Appeals form
• Upon receipt, complete and return a copy of the form to the College for processing.  Receipt of the complaint will be acknowledged in writing via return email, usually within 48 hours.
• Where the learner wishes to remain anonymous, they must clearly indicate this on the Complaints/Appeals form
• An investigation into the learner’s complaint will commence immediately and may require the learner and other parties to participate in an interview with the College’s CEO.  Any requirements to participate in a formal interview will be arranged within 21 days of receiving the complaint and may be conducted over the telephone or in person
• Following the interviews, the CEO, will collate all evidence to make a determination.  This process will usually take around 14 days. Upon completion of the investigation, the learner will receive formal correspondence from the College advising:
  • The outcome and decision made in relation to the outcome
  • The reason that the decision has been made
• Should the learner be dissatisfied with the decision, they may submit a formal appeal or contact one of the following authorities for assistance:
  • National Training Complaint Hotline Phone: 13 38 73
• • The relevant state Training Ombudsman
• The College aims to bring all complaints to a mutually acceptable conclusion within 45 days.
• If for any reason, the process needs to be extended or will go beyond the thirty days, the College will ensure that the learner updated as soon as any delay becomes apparent

Overview of the appeals process

• If the learner disagrees with an assessment decision, they must discuss this with their trainer in the first instance
• If the learner remains dissatisfied with the outcome of this discussion, they must then contact the College administration to obtain a Complaints/Appeals Form.
• Upon receipt, complete and return a copy of the form to the College for processing.  Receipt of the appeal will be acknowledged in writing via return email usually within 48 hours.
• All appeals against assessment decisions must be received within 7 days of the assessment decision being made.  Appeals submitted after this time will not be accepted unless approved by the CEO

• An investigation into the learner’s appeal will commence immediately and may require the learner to participate in an interview with the College’s CEO.  Any requirements to participate in a formal interview will be arranged within 7 days of receiving the appeal and may be conducted over the telephone or in person
• Following the interview, the CEO will appoint an independent assessor to review the original assessment evidence and make an informed judgement.  This process will usually take around 7 days

• Within 7 days of completion of the investigation, the learner will receive formal correspondence from the college advising:
  • The circumstances surrounding the appeal
  • The investigations that have been conducted
  • The findings from the investigations
  • The outcome and decision made in relation to the outcome
    • Where the appeal confirms that the original assessor’s decision was correct (upheld), the learner will be offered the opportunity to be reassessed providing the learner has not exceeded the College’s maximum resubmission attempts.  In this case, the learner will be required re-enrol in the unit/s of competency

• • • Where the appeal confirms that the original decision was incorrect, the learner’s result will be adjusted.

• • The reason that the decision has been made

• Should the learner be dissatisfied with the decision, they may contact one of the following authorities for assistance:
  • National Training Complaint Hotline Phone: 13 38 73
  • The relevant state Training Ombudsman
• The College aims to bring all appeals to a mutually acceptable conclusion within 30 days.
• If for any reason, the process needs to be extended or will go beyond the thirty days, the College will ensure that the learner updated as soon as any delay becomes apparent