Learner Complaint Procedure
Learner Complaint Procedure
Purpose
Emerald Academy is committed to provide an efficient and high standard of service to all. We are continually working to achieve this high level of service by implementing a quality management system. We take every care to ensure we are delivering a high standard of service but are aware that there may be occasions that we do not meet both ours and learners expectations, in this instance please raise your concerns with us immediately so we can address them, respond positively, and rectify any mistakes made.
Policy
Emerald Academy is committed to promote fairness and equality of treatment to all. We welcome positive or negative feedback from any individual that has been directly affected by our services. We strive to think our members and learners have confidence that we will listen to their views and act upon them accordingly. All written correspondence will be acknowledged by us within 7 working days, any dissatisfaction received will be treated as a complaint. Our aim is to provide our members and learners with a clear, precise process to follow when they feel the need to make a complaint and communicate effectively the process Emerald academy will follow to resolve the complaint. We aim to ensure:
- The complaints procedure is an easy process to follow and is prompt and efficient
- All complaints are treated as a dissatisfaction with our level of service
- The resolution is to the complainant’s satisfaction (explanation, apology, action taken) and our staff when dealing with the complaint are courteous, consultative, and responsive
- Complaints and feedback received is reviewed in line with our quality assurance standards to help improve our products and services.
Everyone has the right to raise a complaint, so this policy will define the stages and procedures you would need to follow, guidance is as follows:
- The process you need to follow to raise a complaint
- The appropriate person who this should be directed to
- The timescales for the complaint to be investigated
- How and when you will be notified of the outcome.
Emerald academy will not accept a complaint under this policy in relation to the following:
- If the complaint relates to any assessment decision or course results the learners can refer to our Enquiries and Appeals Policy
- Any form of malpractice or maladministration, this will be dealt with under our Malpractice and Maladministration Policy.
Raising Concerns and Making Complaints
A complaint can be raised by an individual, a group or a third party who is acting on behalf of someone else. If a third party is submitting a complaint on behalf of someone else, they will need written permission from the complainant along with the written complaint attached, this should then be presented to Emerald academy for acceptance. Once Emerald academy has received a complaint an acknowledgement will be sent within 7 working days. The complaint will be reviewed in line with our policies and procedures and an investigation will be conducted where necessary. To ensure a fair and thorough process is followed the duration of the investigation will depend on the nature and severity of the complaint we receive at this stage, or the complexity of the response required. We do aim to provide this as soon as the outcome is available or within a maximum of 15 days.
How to Make a Complaint
Informal Process
We understand that most individuals who are not satisfied with a service would like it addressed and dealt with as soon as possible, therefore an informal process would be far more appropriate.
An informal process will be more efficient resolving complaints quickly by mediating between who is responsible for the dissatisfaction and the complainant. The complaint may be resolved immediately following this process, so we encourage our members and learners to contact us directly for an informal discussion if they have a complaint that needs to be resolved to achieve the desirable outcome.
If a complaint cannot be resolved informally then the formal complaints procedure should be followed. We may require further information from the complainant to ensure we fully understand what the complaint entails, we will investigate accordingly to achieve the best outcome
Formal Process
If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome from the informal process the dissatisfaction should be submitted in writing to Emerald academy. Once we have received this information, we will send acknowledgement of receipt to the complainant within 7 working days and an investigation to resolve the dissatisfaction will commence. Emerald academy will identify an appropriate manager to review the complaint for further investigation and the complainant will be notified of the individual responsible for this. The member of management will conduct a further investigation in to the complaint, upon completion of the investigation they will communicate and notify the complainant and provide them with an explanation or resolution. To ensure a fair and thorough process is followed the duration of the investigation will depend on the nature and severity of the complaint we receive at this stage, or the complexity of the response required. We do aim to provide this as soon as the outcome is available or within a maximum of 15 days of receiving the stage 1 complaint.
In some cases, this may take longer to conclude the complaint with an outcome, in these instances the complainant will be notified of revised timescales. If the complainant remains dissatisfied with the outcome from the manager’s investigation the next steps to pursue are stage 2 of the complaint’s procedure.
Stage 2
If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome from the stage 1 complaints process, they are able to request a review of the complaint by a senior manager. This must take place within 14 days of the outcome of the original complaint and must be submitted in writing. The senior manager will determine if appropriate procedures were followed and the complaint was answered fully, if there is new evidence submitted in support of the complaint this will also be reviewed. Following review, we shall aim to notify the complainant in writing as soon as possible of the outcome, within a maximum of 15 days. If the provider or learner is not satisfied with the final response, they may then refer the complaint to the appropriate regulatory authority.
Monitoring and Review
Emerald academy is committed to continual improvement, all complaints received by Emerald academy are reviewed to prevent re-occurrence, to improve the suitability and effectiveness of our policies and procedures and to contribute to the development of qualifications that are fit for purpose and meet individual needs.