88Grievance procedure

88 Grievance procedure

(1) An approved course provider must have a grievance procedure to deal with complaints from its students about: (a) academic matters (including matters relating to student progress, assessment, curriculum and awards for an approved course); and (b) non‑academic matters (including matters relating to enrolment in a course and personal information held by the provider). (2) The grievance procedure must: (a) clearly set out the stages of the procedure; and (b) encourage the timely resolution of complaints, including by specifying reasonable periods for dealing with each stage of the procedure; and (c) contain the internal and external stages referred to in subsections (3) and (4); and (d) clearly provide that there is no charge for either the internal stage or the external stage; and (e) provide for implementation of decisions made in following the grievance procedure; and (f) provide for due consideration of recommendations arising from the external stage of the grievance procedure; and (g) require the provider to allow parties who have used the procedure to access the records of that use, but otherwise keep the records confidential. (3) The internal stage of the grievance procedure must include: (a) a process for the lodging and hearing of a formal complaint; and (b) a requirement for the complainant to be given written notice of a decision on the formal complaint, including: (i) the reasons for the decision; and (ii) advice about how to appeal the decision; and (c) a process for appealing the decision to an independent senior officer of the approved course provider, or to an internal committee or unit with appropriate expertise; and (d) a requirement for the appellant to be given written notice of the decision on appeal, including: (i) the reasons for the decision; and (ii) advice about how to have the decision reviewed; and (e) provision for each party to this stage of the procedure to be accompanied or assisted by another person, at that party’s cost. (4) The external stage of the grievance procedure must include: (a) a process for having a decision on appeal reviewed by an external and independent person or body with appropriate expertise; and (b) provision for each party to the review to be accompanied or assisted by another person at the review, at that party’s cost; and (c) a requirement for each party to be given written notice of the decision on review, include the reasons for the decision.