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Privacy policy

Information for students of Celebrant Institute RTO for the Certificate IV in Celebrancy and the Marriage Celebrant Ongoing Professional Development program.

Policy & Procedure

This policy and procedure support the RTO to provide a process for complaints and appeals to be heard and actioned. All complaints and appeals received by Life Skills Training will be viewed as an opportunity for improvement.

Despite all efforts of Life Skills Training to provide satisfactory services to its students, complaints may occasionally arise that require formal resolution. The following procedures provide students the opportunity to have any issues relating to a substantiated complaint or appeal resolved and resolutions reached that attempt to satisfy all parties involved. This complaints and appeals process will be at no cost to the student (unless referred to a third party; see procedure for more details).

The complaints and appeals policy and procedure and applicable form is made available to all students and potential students by directly contacting the RTO and within this student information handbook.

General complaints

Where possible all non-formal attempts shall be made to resolve the issue. This may include advice, discussions, and general mediation in relation to the issue and the student’s issue. Any staff member can be involved in this informal process to resolve issues but once a student has placed a formal complaint / appeal the following procedures must be followed.

Any student, potential student, or third party may submit a formal complaint to Life Skills Training with the reasonable expectation that all complaints will be treated with integrity and privacy. There is no cost for accessing the internal complaints and appeals process.

Complainants have the right to access advice and support from independent external agencies / persons at any point of the complaint and appeals process. Use of external services will be at the complainant’s costs unless authorised by the CEO.

Any person wishing to submit a formal complaint or appeal can do so by completing the ‘Complaints and Appeals Form’ and state their case providing as many details as possible. This form can be attained by contacting the RTO or from the RTO’s website: Complaints_and_Appeals_Form_V17.pdf

All formally submitted complaints or appeals are submitted to the CEO. Complaints are to include the following information:

  • Submission date of complaint
  • Name of complainant
  • Nature of complaint
  • Date of the event which led to the complaint
  • Attachments (if applicable)
Once a formal complaint is received it is to be entered into the ‘Complaints and Appeals Register’ which is monitored by the CEO regularly. The information to be contained and updated within the register is as follows:
  • Submission date of complaint
  • Name of complainant
  • Description of complaint / appeal
  • Determined resolution
  • Date of resolution
A student may be assisted or accompanied by a support person regardless of the nature of the issue or complaint throughout the process at all times.

The CEO will make a decision on the complaint within 10 working days and keep the complainant informed of any decisions or outcomes concluded, or processes in place to deal with the complaint.

Once a decision has been reached the CEO will inform all parties involved of the decision in writing. Within the notification of the outcome of the formal complaint the students shall also be notified that they have the right of appeal. To appeal a decision the RTO must receive, in writing, grounds of the appeal.

The CEO will ensure that the RTO acts immediately on any substantiated complaint. If the internal or any external complaint handling or appeal process results in a decision that supports the student, the registered provider must immediately implement any decision and/or corrective and preventative action required and advise the student of the outcome.

Copies of all documentation, outcomes and further action required will be placed into the ‘Complaints and Appeals Register’ by the CEO and on the student’s file.

Appealing a Decision

All students have the right to appeal decisions made by Life Skills Training where reasonable grounds can be established. The areas in which a student may appeal a decision made by Life Skills Training may include:
  • Assessments conducted
  • Or any other conclusion / decision that is made after a complaint has been dealt with by Life Skills Training in the first instance.
To activate the appeals process the student is to complete a ‘Complaints and Appeals Form’ which is to include a summary of the grounds the appeal is based upon. The reason the student feels the decision is unfair is to be clearly explained

The CEO shall then organise a meeting with all parties involved in the matter and attempt to seek resolution where appropriate.

The process for all formally lodged appeals will begin within 10 working days of the appeal being lodged.

The CEO shall ensure that Life Skills Training acts on any substantiated appeal.

Where an appeal has been lodged it will be defined into one of the following categories and the appropriate procedures followed:

General appeals

Where a student has appealed a decision or outcome of a formal complaint, they are required to notify Life Skills Training in writing within 20 working days of the grounds of their appeal. Any supporting documentation should also be attached to the appeal.

The appeal shall be lodged through the CEO and they shall ensure the details of the appeal are added to the ‘Complaints and Appeals Register’.

The CEO shall be notified and shall seek details regarding the initial documentation of the complaint and shall make a decision based on the grounds of the appeal.

The student shall be notified in writing of the outcome with reasons for the decisions, and the ‘Complaints and Appeals Register’ updated. The student shall also be provided the option of activating the external appeals process if they are not satisfied with the outcome. The student is required to notify Life Skills Training if they wish to proceed with the external appeals process.

Assessment appeals

Where a student wishes to appeal an assessment, they are required to notify their assessor in the first instance. Where appropriate the assessor may decide to re-assess the student to ensure a fair and equitable decision is gained. The assessor shall complete a written report regarding the re-assessment outlining the reasons why assessment was or was not granted.

If this is still not to the student’s satisfaction, the student shall formally lodge an appeal by submitting a written letter outlining their reasons for the appeal. They shall lodge this with the CEO and the appeal shall be entered into the ‘Complaints and Appeals Register.’

The CEO shall be notified and shall seek details from the trainer involved and any other relevant parties. A decision shall be made regarding the appeal either indicating the assessment decision stands or details of a possible re-assessment by a ‘third party’. The third party shall be another assessor appointed by Life Skills Training.

The student shall be notified in writing of the outcome with reasons for the decision, and the ‘Complaints and Appeals Register’ updated. The student shall also be provided the option of activating the external appeals process if they are not satisfied with the outcome. The student is required to notify Life Skills Training if they wish to proceed with the external appeals process

External appeals

If not satisfied with the decision in stage 2, the complainant may request that the matter be further reviewed by an external dispute resolution process, by the body appointed by Life Skills Training for that purpose.

The appointed external body is the Dispute Resolution Centre of Victoria, whose contact details are as follows:

Dispute Assessment Officer Dispute Resolution Centre of Victoria Level 4, 456 Lonsdale Street Melbourne VIC 3000 Ph: 03 9603 8370 http://www.disputes.vic.gov.au/

Further information

If a student or other client is still dissatisfied with the decision of the RTO, they may wish to seek legal advice or place a complaint about the RTO to ASQA directly by completing the online complaint form: [https://rms.asqa.gov.au/registration/newcomplaint.aspx](https://rms.asqa.gov.au/registration/newcomplaint.aspx).

Except in exceptional circumstances, complainants must attach evidence to their complaint form showing:

  • that they have followed the RTO’s formal complaints procedure, and
  • the RTO’s response.
ASQA’s processes require the complainant to identify themselves to ASQA as a complainant, although they may request that their identity is kept confidential throughout any investigation that ASQA undertakes.

Australian Skills Quality Authority Ph: 1300 701 801 Website: www.asqa.gov.au

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