Managers will ensure that:
9.00 They accept contact from occupants (or their authorised representatives) by any appropriate method, including telephone calls, e-mail or face-to-face discussions; and provide occupants with a way to raise matters of concern in confidence;
9.01 They respond reasonably and promptly to all such contact in accordance with the educational establishment’s published procedures, (or where these do not exist within a maximum of 14 working days). These procedures should be accessible on their website, giving contact details at the educational establishment and target times for responding to complaints. These procedures should also make reference, and link to, the complaints procedures of both the ANUK/Unipol National Codes and those of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator;
9.02 Students are advised of where they can seek independent advice from, such as their students’ association/ JCR/Union;
9.03 The response they make confirms the actions they propose to take and the overall timetable they aim to achieve;
9.04 Any settlements, or agreements, reached are recorded and honoured within a defined period of the settlement being agreed;
9.05 The closure of disputes is recorded to provide a clear audit trail of the actions taken to resolve the dispute;
9.06 They maintain courteous, professional relations with occupants at all times during any dispute;
9.07 Within 4 weeks of the receipt of any written complaint from an occupant (or their representative) they rectify any breach of this Code of Standards, or develop, and put in place, an action plan to address any wider issues that may have been raised;
9.08 Where any allegations are contested, enter into correspondence with the occupant/s or their representative;
9.09 Where such a breach is contested, or where rectification is not made in accordance with 9.1 above, they recognise the authority of a Tribunal which will determine whether or not a breach of the Code has occurred and make recommendations accordingly;
9.10 In the event that such recommendations are not followed by the educational establishment, they accept that they will be deemed to be in breach of the Code and this fact will be made public to prospective occupants. The Tribunal will have the authority to exclude any educational establishment from the Code;
9.11 The educational establishment will accept and, within set timescales, comply with any directives given to them by the National Codes Audit Panel, which oversees the operation of the Code’s assessment and verification system.
Full details of the complaints procedure are included as appendix VI to this Code.