Our Policies

Assessment

Assessment in a competency based environment is based around the acquisition of knowledge and then a demonstrable use of that knowledge in a practical sense. Courses are delivered to meet the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) Standards required by approved Registered Training Organisations. Assessment of courses on the Scope of Registration will be conducted to meet competency standards. A statement of attainment will be issued to successful applicants.

Assessed tasks may include in-class activities, exercise, group work, practical demonstrations, written and/or oral theory tests. Participants have the right to appeal against assessment decisions. Any appeal related to assessment must be lodged within five days of course completion and may attract an appeal administratioin fee which if successful will be refunded.

Enrolment Conditions

AHST access to courses is subject to:

• Course entry requirements being met.
• Availability of classes.
• Course fees are payable in advance and should be made payable to AHST.
• Sufficient enrolments in the class.
• Registration Fees.
• AHSTreserves the right to determine registration fees for courses.

Refund, Cancellation and Transfer Policy

• Cancellations received more than 10 working days in advance of the start of the course will be able to transfer to a future course without penalty.
• Cancellations will othewise attract a 10% administration fee, and the balance of the course fee refunded.
• Cancellations or transfers received between 5 and 10 working days before the start of the course will forfeit 50% of the course fee.
• Cancellations and transfers within 5 working days of the start of the course will forfeit 100% of the course fee.
• Non-attendance without notice will result in the full course fee being charged.
• Enrolment is accepted on the basis that AHST will not be held liable for costs incurred due to the course cancellation or rescheduling. AHST will use all endeavours to give as early advice as possible of any course changes, and the above cancellation conditions will not apply where AHST cancels any training course.

Privacy Policy

Your privacy is respected by Australian Health and Safety Training. As such we take your privacy very seriously and comply with the requirements of the National Privacy Principles of the Commonwealth Privacy Act (2001) where they apply to our dealings with you the participant. Information collected will be used in course administration and may be provided to training staff. You will normally be reminded when your current certificate expires and may be provided with information on first aid training courses and first aid kits with Australian Health and Safety Training. If you do not want to receive certificate expiry reminders, have privacy concerns or would like to verify information held about you, please contact customer service on 1300 655 135. In some cases we will be required by law to make participant information available to others such as Registering Bodies from State or Federal Government Departments. In all other cases we ensure that we will seek the written permission of the participant.

The relevant Privacy Principles are summarized as:

Collection - We will collect only the information necessary for our primary function and you will be told the purposes for which the information is collected.
Use and disclosure - Personal information will not be used or disclosed for a secondary purpose unless the individual has consented or a prescribed exception applies.
Data quality - We will take all reasonable steps to make sure that the personal information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up to date.
Security - We will take all reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Openness - We will document how we manage personal information and when asked by an individual, will explain the information we hold, for what purpose and how we collect, hold, use and disclose the information.
Access - The individual will be given access to the information held about them, at their request. This includes anything held on the participants file including assessment results and participation records.
Anonymity - Wherever possible, AHST will provide the opportunity for the individual to interact with them without having to identify themselves.
Sensitive Information - We will seek the consent of the individual when collecting sensitive information about the individual such as health information, or information about the individual’s racial or ethnic background, or criminal record.

Marketing policy
AHST has an advertising policy that ensures that written permission is obtained before any information pertaining to participants is used in marketing or promotional material. AHST identifies the Australian Qualification Framework level of courses and separate accredited and non-accredited courses in its advertisements. It accurately represents training products to prospective clients.

Participant Code of Conduct

When attending a course at the premises of AHST or any other place where we hold training, we ask all participants to be courteous to each other, to our staff and to all people who they encounter in and around the venue. Please consider and abide by these basic rules. All participants must comply with all reasonable requests and requirements made by staff. No participant should attend any class whilst under the influence of alcohol or any drugs (prescribed or otherwise). Any form of discrimination (sexual, racial etc), bullying, any form of harassment (see below for definitions) or any obscene, offensive or insulting language or behaviour, will not be tolerated. Disruptive behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Any breaking of any state or federal law will be reported to the relevant authority (eg. Stealing, damaging property, assault etc.) Sanctions including cancellation of enrolment without refund, being asked to leave the training venue, attending an interview or mediation may be imposed and are purely at the discretion of the RTO Principal or the trainer in charge if the Principal is absent from the building or training venue.

Discipline

AHST provides training and assessment services in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect. If a trainer or staff member is unhappy or dissatisfied with the behaviour or performance of a participant the trainer has the authority to:

• Warn the participant that their behaviour is unsuitable, or
• Ask a participant to leave the class, without refund or acceptance into another course, or
• Immediately cancel the class.

If a participant wishes to express a complaint in relation to the disciplinary action taken, they have the opportunity to follow our complaints procedure. We expect that our staff will maintain a professional and ethical working relationship with all other staff, management and participants. Any breach of our disciplinary standards will be discussed with the trainer and the appropriate action will be taken.

Harassment and Discrimination Policy
We are required under Australian law to ensure that we provide a workplace that is free from all forms of harassment and discrimination (including victimisation and bullying) so that staff and participants feel valued, respected and are treated fairly. We will ensure that all of our staff understand their roles and responsibilities in creating such a workplace, by a process of communication, mentoring and by setting the expected behavioural example. All of our staff are aware of the processes and procedures for addressing any form of alleged harassment or discrimination.

Staff are aware and participants should be aware of the following definitions:

Bullying - is unwelcome and offensive behaviour that intimidates, humiliates and/or undermines a person or group. Bullying involves a persistent pattern of behaviour over a period time and may include verbal abuse, physical assault, unjustified criticism, sarcasm, insult, spreading false or malicious rumours about someone, isolating or ignoring a person, putting people under unnecessary pressure with overwork or impossible deadlines, and sabotaging someone's work or their ability to do their job by not providing them with vital information and resources.
Confidentiality - refers to information kept in trust and divulged only to those who need to know.
Discrimination - is treating someone unfairly or unequally simply because they belong to a group or category of people. Equal opportunity laws prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sex, marital status, pregnancy, family responsibility, family status, race, religious beliefs, political conviction, gender, history, impairment, age or sexual orientation. Victimisation is also treated as another form of discrimination.
Harassment - is any unwelcome and uninvited comment or action that results in a person being intimidated, offended, humiliated or embarrassed.
Personnel - refers to all employees of AHST.
Racial Harassment - occurs when a person is threatened, abused, insulted or taunted in relation to their race, descent or nationality, colour, language or ethnic origin, or a racial characteristic. It may include derogatory remarks, innuendo and slur, intolerance, mimicry or mockery, displays of material prejudicial to a particular race, racial jokes, allocating least favourable jobs or singling out for unfair treatment.
Sexual Harassment - is any verbal or physical sexual conduct that is unwelcome and uninvited. It may include kissing, embracing, patting, pinching, touching, leering or gestures, questions about a person's private or sexual life, requests for sexual favours, smutty jokes, phone calls, emails, facsimiles or messages, offensive noises or displays of sexually graphic or suggestive material.
Victimisation - is punishing or treating an individual unfairly because they have made a complaint, or are believes to have made a complaint, or to have supported someone who has made a complaint.

Specific principles

• All staff and participants have a right to work in an environment free of any form of harassment and discrimination
• All reports of harassment and discrimination are to be treated seriously, impartially and sensitively. Harassment and discrimination, including victimisation and bullying, is unwelcome, uninvited and unacceptable behaviour that will not be tolerated.
• When a staff member is informed of any harassment or discrimination they have the responsibility to take immediate and appropriate action to address it.
• In dealing with all complaints, the rights of all individuals should be respected and confidentiality maintained.
• Whenever possible, all complaints should be resolved by a process of discussion, cooperation and conciliation.
• Both the person making the complaint, and the person against whom the complaint has been made, will receive information, support and assistance in resolving the issue.
• Victimisation is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. No person making a complaint, or assisting in the investigation of a complaint, should be victimised.
• Staff and participants should not make any frivolous or malicious complaints. All staff and participants are expected to participate in the complaint resolution process in good faith.

Appeals
An appeal is a grievance about an assessment outcome (sometimes called an academic appeal). AHST has a process for re-evaluating assessment outcomes if the participant is unhappy with the outcome. All re-assessments involve an assessor who is independent of the initial assessment which is subject to the appeal. If you are not happy with the outcome of assessment you should first approach your initial assessor and make sure that the reasons for being unsuccessful are understood. Once that has been done or you are still not sure why the assessment was unsuccessful, contact any other staff member to discus the procedure for lodging the appeal. AHST will deal with any appeal in an effective and timely manner, aiming to resolve all appeals within one week of the appeal being lodged in writing by the participant.

• Each appeal must be lodged in writing and the outcome of the resolution will be made in writing;
• Any person who lodges an appeal will be given the opportunity to present their case in an unbiased and independent environment. The independence of the party or panel must be mutually agreed.
• We will act upon any substantiated complaint or appeal and may see the result as an Improvement Opportunity for us.

The RTO Principal is responsible for managing the resolution of any appeal or complaint and will be able to supply and assist with the relevant appeal or complaint form as required. All appeals and complaints including their resolutions are reviewed at our management meetings and, if appropriate, will result in a continuous improvements activity.

Legislative Requirements
We are subject to a range of legislation related to training and assessment as well as general business practice including matters such as your safety, privacy, and rights to name a few. There are also a number of legislative requirements that you will be made aware of throughout your course. This legislation is continually being updated and all staff are made aware of any changes through our internal improvement processes. The legislation that particularly effects your participation in AHST courses may include:

Commonwealth Legislation

• Age Discrimination Act 2004
• Copyright Act 1968
• Disability Standards for Education 2005
• Disability Discrimination Act 1992
• Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986
• Racial Discrimination Act 1975
• Sex Discrimination Act 1984
• Privacy Act (2001) including the National Privacy Principles
• Skilling Australia's Workforce Act 2005

State Based Legislation (Queensland)

• Fair Trading Act 1989 (advertising and marketing)
• Vocational Education, Training and Employment Act 2000 (VET practice and RTO management
• Workplace, Health and Safety Act 1995 and Regulations (2008)

If a complaint made by a participant to us involves an allegation of criminal misconduct, we will immediately refer the matter to the appropriate authority.

Occupational Health and Safety Policy
The Workplace, Health and Safety Act 1995 describes the duty of care we have to provide a safe and healthy working environment for our employees and our duty of care to take reasonable care for the health and safety of others within the work place. This includes the provision of:

• a workplace that is safe to work in, with working procedures that are safe to use
• adequate staff training including topics such as safe work procedures
• properly maintained facilities and equipment
• a clean and suitably designed workplace

The following procedures and standards must be observed to help achieve a safe working and learning environment:

• Maintain a safe, clean and efficient, working environment
• Implement procedures and practices, in a variety of situations, in accordance with State and Local Government Health regulations
• Store and dispose of waste according to health regulations
• Clean walls, floor and working surfaces to meet health and safety standards
• Check all equipment for maintenance requirements
• Refer equipment for repair as required
• Store equipment safely
• Identify fire hazards and take precautions to prevent fire
• Safe lifting and carrying techniques maintained
• Ensure student safety at all times
• All unsafe situations are recognised and reported
• Display first aid and safety procedures for all staff and participants to see
• Report any identified Health and Safety hazard to the appropriate staff member as required

Working with Children
Whilst we do not exclude people under the age of 18 in our training and assessment programs, it is unlikely that a person who has not attained the age of 18 would enroll in a course of this nature.

Participant Assessment Records Policy
We are committed to maintaining and safeguarding the accuracy, integrity and currency of records without jeopardising the confidentiality of the records or our participant’s privacy. Individual participant records will be stored in a locked secure office area. Our electronic records are stored and backed up weekly and are protected by password access, we further protect our records by maintaining up to date virus, firewall and spyware protection software. Our software and hardcopy systems will retain participant results for a period of not less than 30 years. All other records including, assessment records, taxation records, business and commercial records will be retained for a period of at least seven years. We will ensure that any confidential information acquired by us, individuals or committees or organisations acting upon our behalf is safeguarded. Access to individual participant assessment records will be limited to those who require those records for specific purposes including:

• trainers and assessors to access and update the records of the participants with whom they are working,
• management and administration staff as required to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the business,
• Officers from DET or their representatives,
  
  Or those required by law such as:
  
  
• people as are permitted by law to access these records (e.g. subpoena / search warrants / social service benefits / evidence act) or participant’s authorising release of specific information to third parties in writing.

Access and Equity
We are committed to ensuring that we offer assessment opportunities to all people on an equal and fair basis including:

• women where under-represented
• people with disabilities
• people from non-English speaking backgrounds
• Indigenous Australians
• rural and remote learners

All participants have equal access to our training and assessment programs irrespective of their gender, culture, linguistic background, race, socio-economic background; disability, age, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or carer’s responsibilities. Any issues or questions regarding access and equity can be directed to the Director of AHST.

National Recognition
As mentioned earlier, when you undertake nationally recognised training, your qualification is valued equally throughout Australia. This is because all RTOs in Australia agree to nationally recognise all awards issued by any other RTO in the country. Participant Support, Welfare and Guidance We will assist all participants in their efforts to complete our training programs. In the event that you are experiencing any difficulties with your studies we would recommend that you see your trainer, or another member of AHST. We will ensure that the full resources of our organisation are made available to assist you accessing the required level of completion required. Should you be experiencing any personal difficulties you should make contact directly with the Director who will assist you to the full extent of his capacity.

If your needs exceed our support capacity we will refer you onto an appropriate external agency. You can seek support immediately by contacting:
Police/Fire/Ambulance - 000
Interpreting Services - 13 14 50
Poisons Information Centre - 13 11 26
Abortion Grief Counselling - 1300 363 550
Alcohol and Drug Information Serv - 1800 177 833 (24 hour counselling and information)
Domestic Violence helpline - 1800 811 811
Family Drug Support - 1300 368 186
Lifeline - 131 114
Men’s Line Australia - 1300 789 978
Pregnancy Counselling Australia - 1300 737 732
Pregnancy Help Line - 1300 139 313
Quitline - 13 18 48
Salvation Army - 1300 363 622
Statewide Sexual Assault Helpline - 1800 010 120

Flexible Delivery and Assessment Procedures
AHST recognizes that not all participants learn in the same manner, and that with an amount of “reasonable adjustment” participants who may not learn best with traditional learning and assessment methods will still achieve good results. AHST will make any necessary adjustment to meet the needs of a variety of participants. For example, the ability to complete a written assessment is not seen as an inability to meet competency when the participant can verbally demonstrate competency. These adjustments may include having someone read assessment materials to participants or they may include having someone record the participant’s spoken responses to assessment questions. AHST undertakes to assist participants achieve their required competency level where the adjustment is reasonable and is within our ability. Where we cannot assist a participant, we will refer them, where possible, to an agency that can assist.

Acknowledgement Declaration
Before you complete and sign AHST enrolment or training course forms, please be sure that you have read our policies and understand the contents. If you do not understand anything, please ask. By filling in and submitting signed forms, you are acknowledging that you have read the information and policies.