First Aid Academy treats complaints and appeals from staff, partner organisations, participants, and other parties very seriously and will deal with these in an effective and timely manner. Complaints can be made about FAA, its staff, other learners or third parties. FAA is typically aiming to resolve all complaints within three weeks.
FAA will act upon any substantiated complaints or appeals; these will be recorded into FAA’s RTO Management System and will lead where appropriate, to continuous improvement activities.
The data entry responsibility including maintaining security of these complaints and appeals lies with FAA’s CEO.
A person or organisation can complain about any aspect of our dealings with them, and the participant can appeal any decision we make, including assessment decisions.
In the first instance that a person or organisation is unhappy or dissatisfied with an aspect of our service delivery, they should consult their trainer and assessor, customer service staff or FAA’s CEO. Work Employers or Companies should contact FAA’s CEO.
We would encourage Participants should contact their trainer. The trainer should be the first point of contact for participants; the aim of this first contact is to resolve the issue quickly.
If the participants complaint is about the trainer, and they are uncomfortable discussing this issue with the trainer then they should contact FAA’s CEO.
Should the complaint or appeal not be resolved in the first instance, then the complainant is requested to formally lodge a complaint or appeal by completing either the complaint or appeal form, these forms are available from the Trainer, FAA’s CEO or FAA’s Customer Service.
The appellant or complainant can take the form away to complete, but this should be returned within 48 hours so the matter can be promptly investigated.
Should the complaint be about FAA’s CEO, either in their role as a trainer, or in their role as FAA’s CEO, then the customer service representative is able to receive and process the complaint or appeal.
This formal complaint or appeal will be entered into our Complaints or Appeals register for tracking purposes. This is the responsibility of FAA’s CEO, the receipt of the Complaint or Appeal will be formally acknowledged within one business day, in writing by FAA’s CEO.
Should the nature of the complaint refer to criminal matters or where the welfare of people is in danger, FAA will, with the permission of the participant, seek assistance from other authorities such as the Police, Legal Representative or other parties as appropriate.
Participant confidentiality will be maintained at all times as is consistent with Australian Law.
At all times, the principles of Natural Justice be upheld, these being:
- That both sides of the complaint will be informed of the complaint and
- That both sides of any complaint will be heard after sufficient time has been provided for both sides to prepare their arguments
- That an investigation will be conducted without undue delay
- The participant will be allowed to continue their course without penalty until the final decision has been determined.
Further details on Natural Justice can be accessed from the Ombudsman’s office in the state or territory in which the training and assessment is being conducted or found online on www.ombudsman.gov.au.
FAA will ensure that the participant’s academic progress will remain unimpeded by their complaint or appeal.
Upon receipt of the formal complaint or appeal, FAA’s CEO will be responsible for resolving the issue.
This will involve at least a formal interview with the participant, the trainer and FAA’s CEO if appropriate. If this is unable to resolve the issue, then the issue can be escalated to a mutually agreeable independent person or panel.
Engagement of the external assistance will be the responsibility of FAA’s CEO.
The suitable independent person or panel, will need to be agreed upon by the participant and FAA, this could include another external Trainer Assessor, or it could include independent commercial mediators such as the Resolution Institute.
The Resolution Institute can be contacted via http://www.resolution.institute/contact-us
Level 1 and 2
13-15 Bridge Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: +61 2 9251 3366
Freecall: 1800 651 650
Fax: +61 2 9251 3733
Email: infoaus@resolution.institute
Escalation to an external mediation service is a significant process and incurs significant costs.
Engagement of the external assistance will be the responsibility of FAA’s CEO.
FAA is prepared to undertake escalation to independent mediation if FAA is not able to resolve a dispute with a participant.
Once the need for Independent Mediation is agreed upon with the participant, FAA will obtain a written quote for this process from the agreed mediation company; this written quote is to be shared with the participant.
For the process to proceed, both the participant and FAA will lodge with the agreed mediator money to the full value of the quote from the mediator.
The party whose position is NOT upheld by the mediator pays for the mediation service; the party whose position is upheld will receive a refund from the mediator.
Should a compromise position be determined by the mediator both parties agree to pay respective shares as determined by the mediator.
The complainant or appellant will be provided with a formal written statement of the resolution of the complaint or appeal, this will state the reasons for the decision.
At all times will we keep our participants informed of the progress of their complaint or appeal. Should this process take longer than sixty (60) days we will ascertain the course of the delay and keep the participant informed of these reasons through written correspondence.
Participants are also able to lodge a complaint about FAA with ASQA. However please be aware that ASQA is not an advocacy institute for Participants.
A further option available to students and organisations is the National Training complaints hotline. Prior to lodging a formal complaint with the National Training Complaints Hotline, it is important to follow the formal grievance process of the training organisation with which you have a grievance.
The National Training Complaints Hotline is a joint initiative between the Commonwealth, state and territory governments.
Anyone with a complaint or query about the training sector now has one number to call, so they can report a complaint and have it referred to the right authority for consideration.
How to make a complaint
Consumers can register a complaint with the National Training Complaints Hotline by:
Phone: 13 38 73 – Please select option 4.
Email: Please see the process for submitting an email complaint.
Please note that your call will be directed to Skilling Australia which covers many vocational education and training matters. For concerns and complaints regarding vocational education and training please select option 4.
The National Training Complaints Hotline uses the services of the Translating and Interpreting Service and National Relay Service.
The Queensland training ombudsman can provide students with advice about rights and responsibilities within the VET sector, see http://trainingombudsman.qld.gov.au/ for more information.
