National Health and Fitness Academy

Complaints and Appeals Policy and Procedure

RTO 31894

2022

POLICY

Scope

The purpose of this document is to outline NHFA’s Complaints and Appeals Policy and Procedure for all academic and non-academic matters and applies to all students. NHFA is committed to ensuring its complaints and appeals processes are freely accessible and managed in a fair and transparent manner.

Policy

NHFA must ensure that:

1. All disputes, complaints and appeals are handled professionally, equitably and confidentially and in a timely manner, with a view to achieving satisfactory resolution;
2. All parties will have a clear understanding of the steps involved in the Complaints and Appeals procedure, prior to and during the time of the procedure;
3. Prospective students are provided with a copy of the Complaints and Appeals Policy and Procedure document before making a contract to enrol, and again at course commencement; this policy and procedure is also in the Student Handbook.

Students are encouraged, wherever possible, to resolve concerns or difficulties directly with the person(s) concerned. All staff are available to assist students to resolve their issues at this level. At all stages of the process, discussions relating to complaints, grievances and appeals will be recorded in writing.

Records

All records of conversation and supportive documents will be saved in the student’s folder on the Student Management System and in the shared drive. All complaints and appeals are registered in the Complaint and Appeal Registry.

PROCEDURE

National Health and Fitness Academy provides a high standard of service. Should a participant have a complaint or wish to appeal an assessment result, they are encouraged to do so by using the following processes:

Complaints

Complaints are the expression of the dissatisfaction with the quality or any aspect of the business operations and service, including nuisances, discrimination or similar against another person, inclusive of Participants, Staff and Contractors.

The following are examples of issues for which Participants may lodge a complaint:

• Enrolment
• training delivery
• training and/or assessment, including Recognition of Prior Learning
• any other activities associated with the delivery of training and assessment services
• issues such as discrimination, sexual harassment, participant amenities, etc.

First instance: Participants are encouraged to speak immediately with their Trainer. If the Participant is not comfortable addressing the issue with the Trainer, they are encouraged to follow the second step of the complaints process.

Second instance: If the issue is not resolved the Participant is encouraged to either speak to or contact in writing the Director

Third instance: If the matter is still not resolved, an independent third party will be requested to assist with resolution. Third parties may include relevant training representative(s), legal representative(s)
e.g. Antidiscrimination board or other relevant personnel.

Outcomes of complaints will be provided to the Participant in writing within fifteen (15) working days of the decision. If at any time responding to the complaint is going to take more than 60 days the complainant will be advised in writing and informed as to when they can expect a response.

In the event that a complaint has been lodged, a Complaint Form must be completed and forwarded to the Director immediately, even if the situation has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.

If the Participant is not satisfied with the outcome of this procedure they should to contact the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) by completing the complaints form at: http://www.asqa.gov.au/complaints/making-a-complaint.html

Appeals

Appeals are the expression of the dissatisfaction of an assessment result. This would occur when a Participant has been deemed not yet competent and does not agree with this decision.

There are various grounds for lodging an assessment appeal. These include, but are not limited to:

• not being fully informed of the assessment process
• Participant’s needs not taken into consideration
• the assessment process is different to that outlined by the Trainer/Assessor
• assessment process not based on Training Package/Unit of Competence requirements
• an inappropriate method used to assess the Training Package/Unit of Competence
• alleged bias of the Trainer/Assessor
• alleged incompetence of the Trainer/Assessor
• faulty or inappropriate equipment or facilities

Step 1

The Participant appealing an assessment outcome and/or the assessment process discusses their issue with the Trainer/Assessor involved.
(This step must commence within ten (10) working days of the assessment outcome being advised).

Step 2

If still not satisfied, the Participant must complete the Assessment Appeals Form – Part A and forward to the Director.
(This should occur within five (5) working days of Step 1)

Step 3

The assessment is to be reviewed by a different Assessor and the results of the review summarised on the Assessment Appeals Form. The Participant is to be advised of the appeals outcome within ten (10) working days.
(This should occur within ten 10 working days of Step 2)

Step 4

If still not satisfied with the outcome of the appeal, the Participant’s appeal is to be reviewed by the Director. The Director will send an acknowledgement letter to the Participant, record the receipt of the Assessment Appeals Form, then review. The Director if necessary, will convene a review panel to thoroughly examine the appeal.
(The Participant is to be advised of the outcome within ten (10) working days). If at any time responding to the appeal is going to take more than 60 days, the appellant will be advised in writing and informed as to when they can expect a response.

Step 5

If the Participant is not satisfied with the outcome of this procedure they should be advised of their right to contact the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) by completing the complaints form at: http://www.asqa.gov.au/complaints/making-a-complaint.html