Student Complaints Procedure

This supersedes all previous versions

IATE Complaints Procedure (for students, former students, applicants and any other user of the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education (updated June 2022)

Preamble

The purpose of the complaint’s procedure is to enable students, former students, applicants, or any other user of the Institute to raise issues of concern or dissatisfaction about a professional conduct issue or ethical issue through a clear procedure for dealing with and resolving grievances or complaints. Any issue that is not a professional conduct issue or ethical issue cannot be addressed through the complaint’s procedure.

The complaints procedure cannot be used to:

1. Make complaints against academic marks (e.g., pass, fail or a grade)
2. Make complaints on the content or delivery of a training, as this is not a professional conduct or ethical issue but a matter of taste and opinion.
3. Make a complaint against a trainer without stating which clause in the Code of Ethics and Professional Practice for Trainers you believe to have been breached.
4. Make a complaint against a decision by IATE to end a student’s training as this is agreed to and signed by the student as part of the training contract. You can however write a letter of appeal to Senior Management about the decision.
5. Make a complaint about fees, or the financial terms of conditions of the training.
6. Make a complaint about a risk assessment carried out with them.
7. Make a complaint as client against a therapist (there is a separate document for this).
8. IATE’s Financial Terms and Conditions. All students sign a contract saying they will adhere to the company’s financial terms and conditions. In light of this, complaints cannot be made against payment of fees or these terms and conditions via the mechanism of this complaints procedure.
9. Make a complaint against any of IATE’s policies or procedures.
   
   

Time Limit

Complaints can only be made within 10 days of the event /incident being complained about and/or within 10 days of  receipt of the Complaints Procedure. Complaints outside of this timeframe would only be considered in exceptional circumstances that prevented the complainant lodging the complaint within the 10 working days.

Early resolution

In the event of a student thinking that they have cause for grievance concerning an ethical or professional conduct issue against either a tutor, or member of IATE management or other party involved with IATE they must first approach and arrange to meet the person concerned to try to resolve the matter informally. This must happen before moving on to submitting a formal complaint. If you are not happy with the outcome of the informal discussion with the person concerned and wish to make a formal complaint, then you should follow the procedure below.

Any complainant who has not attempted to resolve their complaint through informal resolution will be asked to explain in writing why they have not done so (e.g., if there were exceptional circumstances that prevented the early resolution attempt). Please write to Senior Management. This cannot be used to ‘dodge’ the meeting with the person concerned.

Procedure

Stage One
Where it has not been possible to resolve a complaint informally, the complainant may then contact The Ethics and Complaints Committee directly The Ethics and Complaints Committee, c/o The Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education, 2-18 Britannia Row, London N1 8PA. Telephone: 020 7704 2534 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please provide the following information:

• A covering note with details of the complainant's name and contact address.
• The circumstances giving rise to the complaint and the date on which it took place.
• Confirmation that all informal channels of communication have been explored unsuccessfully, including details of the individuals involved, meetings organised and attended, and why the complainant believes that the matter was not satisfactorily resolved at these meetings.
• Any evidence by way of corroboration, e.g., a witness statement, to be appended.
• A request that the complaint be dealt with formally under this procedure.

It is not possible to make a complaint against trainer or staff member at IATE without detailing the exact clause/s in the Code of Ethics and Professional Practice for Trainers you believe to have been breached. Please ask for this document to be sent to you if you don’t have a copy (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Stage Two

The respondent will be notified that a complaint against them has been registered at IATE and they will be provided with written details of this. The respondent is then invited to provide a written response to the complaint to The Ethics and Complaints Committee and/or will be invited to attend a meeting with The Ethics and Complaints Committee. In any meetings about the complaint, the complainant and/or the respondent would be entitled to bring along a friend or colleague, but not a paid legal representative. Any further written information that the complainant or the respondent wish to be considered by IATE must be submitted 10 days before any such meeting takes place. (Written information not given in advance cannot be considered by the Ethics and Complaints Committee).

The Ethics and Complaints Committee will evaluate the written submissions from both parties. The committee may need to request further information or clarification about the complaint or context, if this is needed. The Ethics and Complaints Committee will then consider whether to uphold or not uphold the complaint. If the latter, they will propose a course of action in a recommendation report. This recommendation report is then sent with all collated information to the Chair of the Academic Board, the Academic Registrar and the Head of School for ratification. The decision ratified by the Chair of the Academic Board, the Academic Registrar and the Head of School is communicated to the Ethics and Complaints Committee. The Ethics and Complaints Committee would then inform the complainant and responder of the decisions and prescribed actions.

Stage Three – Review of the formal complaint

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of your formal complaint you may request a review of the formal complaint. You may request a review on the following grounds:

• There was a significant error in procedure at Stage One and/or Stage Two.
• There is new material to support the complaint.
• A consideration of whether the outcome was reasonable.

You must submit a request for a review in writing within 10 working days of receipt of the outcome of Stage Two. Your request must be sent by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Your application should state your name, the details of the complaint and the outcome letter from the formal stage.

The review will be managed by a member of staff who has not been involved in the case so far. The reviewer willconsider the material submitted at Stage One, Stage Two, and the outcome of Stage Two, in reaching a judgement.

Possible outcomes of the review stage are:

• Outcome of Stage Two is upheld, and the review is dismissed.
• The matter should be referred back to Stage One or Stage Two for reconsideration. You will receive the outcome of the review within 10 working days after receipt of the request for a review.

You will be notified in writing of the outcome.