Terms and Conditions

Safeguarding Policy

Policy Statement

  1. All people, regardless of their age, gender, race, religious beliefs, disability, sexual orientation, or family or social background, have equal rights to protection from abuse, neglect or exploitation.

  2. Victorian Institute of Health commits to promoting and protecting the welfare and human rights of people that interact with, or are affected by, our work - particularly those that may be at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation. We have no tolerance for abuse, neglect or exploitation. We will take a survivor-centric approach in all that we do.

  3. All staff, volunteers, partners and third parties of Victorian Institute of Health share responsibility for protecting everyone from abuse, neglect or exploitation. Beyond this, particular people have specific responsibilities, and they must carry out their duties without exception. 

  4. Victorian Institute of Health has a process for managing incidents that must be followed when one arises.

Purpose

  1. The purpose of this policy is to:

    1. Help protect people that interact with, or are affected by, Victorian Institute of Health

    2. Define the key terms we use when talking about protecting people or safeguarding.

    3. Set out and develop the way the Victorian Institute of Health manages safeguarding risks.

    4. Set out the specific roles and responsibilities of persons working in and with Victorian Institute of Health

    5. Facilitate the safe management of incidents.

    6. To support a positive and effective internal culture towards safeguarding.

Definitions

  1. ‘Safeguarding’ means protecting the welfare and human rights of people that interact with, or are affected by, Victorian Institute of Health, particularly those that might be at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation. This refers to any responsibility or measure undertaken to protect a person from harm.

  2. ‘Abuse, neglect or exploitation’ means all forms of physical and mental abuse, exploitation, coercion or ill-treatment. This might include, for example:

    1. Sexual harassment, bullying or abuse;

    2. Sexual criminal offences and serious sexual criminal offences;

    3. Threats of, or actual violence, verbal, emotional or social abuse;

    4. Cultural or identity abuse, such as racial, sexual or gender-based discrimination or hate crime;

    5. Coercion and exploitation;

    6. Abuse of power.

  3. ‘Reasonable grounds to suspect’ is a situation where a person has some information that leads them to believe that abuse, neglect or exploitation has taken place, is taking place, or may take place. It comes with a low burden of proof (in fact, no proof is needed at all), but is based on some information. Questions that may help a person to determine whether they have ‘reasonable grounds to suspect’ might include:

    1. Could you explain to another person why you suspect something? This helps to make sure that your suspicion is based on information, even if you have no proof.

    2. Would an objective other person, with the same information as you, come to the same conclusion? This helps to make sure that your suspicion is as objective as possible.

  4. A ‘survivor-centric approach’ means considering and lawfully prioritising the needs, rights and wishes of survivors.

Roles and responsibilities

  1. While the responsibility to protect people is shared by all who work at or with Victorian Institute of Health some individuals have specific obligations with which they must comply.

  2. The members of the board of Victorian Institute of Health are responsible for:

  1. Protecting all people that interact with, or are affected by, Victorian Institute of Health

  2. Ensuring that there are appropriate and effective ways for Victorian Institute of Health to do this;

  3. Ensuring that Victorian Institute of Health observes all relevant laws relating to safeguarding;

  4. Ensuring that Victorian Institute of Health takes a survivor-centric approach.

  1. The Chief Executive Officers of Victorian Institute of Health must:

  1. Ensure Victorian Institute of Health has effective and appropriate ways to manage safeguarding and legal compliance;

  2. (If necessary) Ensure the appointment of a Safeguarding Manager with appropriate skills and competency;

  3. Ensure that, within the charity’s approach, reasonable steps are taken to protect people;

  4. Ensure that reports to external parties are made where required.

  1. The Safeguarding Manager of Victorian Institute of Health, the board of Directors, must:

  1. Manage reports of abuse, neglect or exploitation;

  2. Ensure that all staff, contractors, and volunteers are aware of relevant laws, policies and procedures, and Victorian Institute of Health Code of Conduct;

  3. Ensure that all staff, contractors and volunteers are aware of their obligations to report suspected incidents of abuse, neglect or exploitation;

  4. Manage reports of abuse, neglect or exploitation;

  5. Provide support for staff, contractors and volunteers in undertaking their responsibilities.

  1. All Managers of Victorian Institute of Health must:

  1. Promote a positive culture towards safeguarding;

  2. Implement this policy in their area of responsibility;

  3. Ensure that the risks of incidents have been considered in their area of responsibility;

  4. Ensure that there are appropriate controls in place to prevent, detect and respond to incidents; 

  5. Facilitate the reporting of any suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation;

  6. Take a survivor-centric approach to potential incidents and ensure that any incident is dealt with transparently and accountably.

  1. All Staff and Volunteers of Victorian Institute of Health must:

  1. Familiarise themselves with the relevant laws, the Code of Conduct, policies and procedures for safeguarding;

  2. Comply with all requirements;

  3. Report any incident to the appropriate authority when it is reasonable to suspect that a person’s safety or welfare is at risk 

  4. Report any suspicion that a person’s safety or welfare may be at risk to the appropriate authority; and 

  5. Provide an environment that is supportive of everyone’s emotional and physical safety.

  1. All partners and contractors of Victorian Institute of Health must:

    1. Implement the provisions of this policy and Victorian Institute of Health’s procedures in their dealings with Victorian Institute of Health;

    2. Report any suspicion that an incident may have taken place, is taking place, or could take place.

Managing safeguarding risk

  1. The way Victorian Institute of Health manages the risks of safeguarding will be:

    1. Holistic. Victorian Institute of Health and its stakeholders will work to prevent, detect and take action on incidents.

    2. Risk-based and proportionate. Victorian Institute of Health will regularly assess the risks to people in its operations and develop proportionate controls to mitigate those risks.

    3. Survivor-centric. Victorian Institute of Health will put survivors at the heart of it’s approach to safeguarding.

    4. Lawful. Victorian Institute of Health will ensure that it understands and complies with the law in everything it does, in all jurisdictions in which it works.

  2. Victorian Institute of Health will manage the risk of safeguarding by:

    1. Having up-to-date and documented risk assessments;

    2. Maintaining a register of Victorian Institute of Health legal obligations for safeguarding and workplace health and safety in all the jurisdictions in which it operates;

    3. Having an action plan that sets out how it will manage safeguarding;

    4. Adhering to this Safeguarding Policy and its Code of Conduct;

    5. Doing due diligence checks of staff, volunteers and third parties;

    6. Implementing policies, procedures and systems that introduce controls to reduce the likelihood and consequence of incidents;

    7. Conducting awareness-raising for stakeholders on risks, expectations, and individual responsibilities;

    8. Maintaining two reporting processes: the confidential reporting process, and the overt reporting process;

    9. Having an incident response plan;

    10. Monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness and proportionality of its safeguarding approach.

Managing incidents

  1. Harassment, abuse, neglect and exploitation are all serious misconduct and Victorian Institute of Health reserves the right to:

    1. Take disciplinary action against those it believes are responsible, which may include dismissal;

    2. Take civil legal action;

    3. Report the matter to law enforcement.

Reporting suspected incidents

  1. All staff, volunteers and third parties must, as soon as practicable, report any suspicion that an incident has taken place, may be taking place, or could take place.

  2. They may do this through direct reporting to:

    1. Any member of the board;

    2. The Chief Executive Officer;

    3. The Safeguarding Manager;

    4. Their Manager or Supervisor.

  3. If a person wants to report confidentially, including with anonymity, they may use the confidential reporting system, which is: via the form submission section of the Victorian Institute of Health’s website

  4. If a person believes that another person is at risk of immediate harm or the victim of a criminal offence, they must dial 000.

Responding to suspected incidents

  1. All suspected, perceived, potential or actual incidents will be managed through the incident response plan.

External reporting

  1. Victorian Institute of Health will:

    1. Report any suspicion of a criminal offence to the police or the relevant criminal judicial body;

    2. Meet all donor requirements regarding the reporting of incidents;

    3. Report any qualifying matter to the ACNC.

Privacy and data protection

  1. All personal information considered or recorded will respect the privacy of the individuals involved unless there is a risk to someone’s safety. Victorian Institute of Health will protect personal information. 

  2. Victorian Institute of Health’s Privacy Policy applies.

Administration of this policy

  1. This Policy will be reviewed every two years. The next review will be on 25/02/2027.

Refund Policy

  • Students who give notice to reschedule their enrolment more than 24 hours before the start of their course will incur no additional fees.

  • Students who give notice to reschedule their enrolment less than 24 hours prior, or after the start of their course will incur a 50% rescheduling and administration fee based on their course fees.

  • Where it has been identified that there is a legitimate reason with less than 24 hours prior notice, there will be no charge for a student to transfer to another course if the student provides evidence. An example of a legitimate reason includes sudden acute illness with a medical certificate as evidence.

  • Legitimate reasons do not include unexpected traffic, public transport delays, arriving to the wrong venue, running late, new work commitments, etc.

  • Rescheduling will be for the next available course that Victorian Institute of Health is running.

In the case of cancellation/withdrawal, the following cancellation fees will apply:

  • Students who give notice to cancel their enrolment more than 14 days before the start of their course will be entitled to a full refund of fees paid.

  • Students who cancel their enrolment less than 14 days, but more than 24 hours before the start of their course are entitled to a 50 percent refund of fees paid. The amount retained (55%) by The Victorian Institute of Health Pty Ltd is required to cover the cost of staff and resources which will have already been committed based on the student’s initial intention to undertake the training.

  • Students who cancel their enrolment less than 24 hours before their course start time, or after the start of their course will not be entitled to a refund of fees.

  • Students who are late or miss the start of their course will not be entitled to a refund  of fee

  • Students who cancel within 24 hours of making their payment (cool-off period) are entitled to a full refund of fees paid.

If Victorian Institute of Health Pty Ltd cancels a course, then a full refund will be made available to whoever paid the course fee.

Please note that a $5 booking and administration fees is applied for the processing of refunds.

Where refunds are approved, the refund payment must be paid to the student within 14 days from the time the student gave written notice to cancel their enrollment.


Discretion may be exercised by Victorian Institute of Health Pty Ltd in all situations, if the student can demonstrate that extenuating or significant personal circumstance led to their withdrawal, cancellation or rescheduling. In these cases, the student may be offered full credit toward the tuition fee in another scheduled program in-lieu of a refund or incur no additional fees for rescheduling.


Privacy Policy

Victorian Institute of Health is an approved 3rd Party provider (Partner) of Allens Training Pty Ltd RTO #90909, therefore all student and user data that is supplied for the purposes of delivery of services under this agreement will be required to comply with the Allens Training Pty Ltd Privacy Policy. This policy is outlined below and available to all users via the Student Handbook. 

Allens Training Pty Ltd Privacy Policy

Allens Training Pty Ltd takes the privacy of students very seriously and complies with all legislative requirements. These include the Privacy Act 1988. The Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012 (Privacy Amendment Act) made many significant changes to the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act). The main change is that all businesses that collect or handle personal information will be required to comply with a new set of Principles, the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) as of 12 March 2014.

In our operation as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) we are required to collect certain information by external agencies such as the National VET Regulator and other licensing bodies in order to meet our compliance requirements as an RTO. All information shared is kept in the strictest confidence by both parties and is available on request. The Privacy Notice at Schedule 1 of the National VET Data Policy explains these requirements, which can be accessed through: https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-notice.

The Privacy Notice as at Schedule 1 of the VET Data Policy is provided in this document. It is current as of January 2021.

The relevant Privacy Principles are summarised 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.

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.

Allens Training Pty Ltd will only use or disclose personal information about a student for a purpose other than the primary purpose of collection (a 'secondary purpose') if:

  • The secondary purpose is related to the primary purpose of collection and the student would reasonably expect to use or disclose the information for the secondary purpose, or

  • Allens Training Pty Ltd reasonably believes that the use or disclosure is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious and imminent threat to an individual's life, health or safety or a serious threat to public health or public safety, or

  • Allens Training Pty Ltd has reason to suspect that unlawful activity has been, is being or may be engaged in, and uses or discloses the personal information as a necessary part of its investigation of the matter or in reporting its concerns to relevant persons or authorities, or

  • The use or disclosure is required or specifically authorised by law.

Notwithstanding the above, Allens Training Pty Ltd is prohibited by law from releasing a student’s personal information to third parties, including members of their family without that individual’s prior written consent.

Photography Privacy

We recognise that in some circumstances there are sensitivities relating to the taking of photographs. This is particularly relevant to capturing images of children. We may, from time to time, wish to take photos of training activities we are conducting. When these instances arise in an environment external to our own training facilities, we will first obtain permission from the premise’s owner or manager, as well as from the students themselves.

If you have concerns about how Allens Training Pty Ltd is managing your personal information, we encourage you to inform our staff and discuss your concerns. You are also encouraged to make a complaint directly to us using our internal complaint handling arrangements outlined in this handbook.

Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) you also have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) about the handling of your personal information. You can find more information about making a privacy complaint at the website of the OAIC located at: http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints.


Student Data

Under the Standards for RTOs 2015, we are required to capture student data at the time of enrolment. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they provide accurate information in regard to themselves and their enrollment. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they inform us of any change of personal details in writing within seven days of the change occurring.

This data is known as AVETMISS data – Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard. We must gather information in regard to the following data: who the student is, where they study and what they study.

We are also required to confirm the identity of the student enrolling into the course. This may involve requesting copy of photo ID or other documents that will verify the student ID. For more information on specific ID requirements for your course, refer to the ‘Student Information’ for your course available on the Allens Training website.

Please Note: Enrolment into a course will not be confirmed unless the required student data and proof of ID has been collected and confirmed.

Records Management

All course paperwork is scanned and entered into our Training Desk database.  Files are stored for the legislated period of time and electronic files are backed up regularly and are stored on a protected server.

Information concerning contact details, financial status, academic status, attendance status, registration details, identification details, evaluations, feedback, and surveys are all confidential.

Accessing your Records

Students have access to personal records upon written request to the Compliance Team email compliance@allenstraining.com.au

A Request for access to Student Records Form is available for this purpose, or to allow access to records by a third party.   The form can be downloaded from our website under the student section.

In all cases Allens Training Pty Ltd will require proof of identity to protect the privacy of all client information. Student assessment records are only retained by Allens Training Pty Ltd for the legislated minimum timeframe of 6 months as per the ASQA General Direction on Retention requirements for completed student assessments.

Students are obligated to keep Allens Training Pty Ltd informed of their current contact details and to inform us immediately of any change in these details. Students should be advised that if they do not receive any correspondence due to incorrect contact details, they are fully responsible.

National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER) Privacy Notice

Privacy Notice as at Schedule 1 of the VET Data Policy is provided below.

Why we collect your personal information?

As a registered training organisation (RTO), we collect your personal information so we can process and manage your enrolment in a vocational education and training (VET) course with us.

How we use your personal information

We use your personal information to enable us to deliver VET courses to you, and otherwise, as needed, to comply with our obligations as an RTO.

How we disclose your personal information

We are required by law (under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Cth) (NVETR Act)) to disclose the personal information we collect about you to the National VET Data Collection kept by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER). The NCVER is responsible for collecting, managing, analysing and communicating research and statistics about the Australian VET sector.

We are also authorised by law (under the NVETR Act) to disclose your personal information to the relevant state or territory training authority.

How the NCVER and other bodies handle your personal information

The NCVER will collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with the law, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the NVETR Act. Your personal information may be used and disclosed by NCVER for purposes that include populating authenticated VET transcripts; administration of VET; facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage; and understanding the VET market.

The NCVER is authorised to disclose information to the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE), Commonwealth authorities, State and Territory authorities (other than registered training organisations) that deal with matters relating to VET and VET regulators for the purposes of those bodies, including to enable:

  • administration of VET, including program administration, regulation, monitoring and evaluation

  • facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage

  • understanding how the VET market operates, for policy, workforce planning and consumer information.

The NCVER may also disclose personal information to persons engaged by NCVER to conduct research on NCVER’s behalf.

The NCVER does not intend to disclose your personal information to any overseas recipients.

For more information about how the NCVER will handle your personal information please refer to the NCVER’s Privacy Policy at www.ncver.edu.au/privacy

If you would like to seek access to or correct your information, in the first instance, please contact your RTO using the contact details listed below.

DESE is authorised by law, including the Privacy Act and the NVETR Act, to collect, use and disclose your personal information to fulfil specified functions and activities. For more information about how the DESE will handle your personal information, please refer to the DESE VET Privacy Notice at https://www.dese.gov.au/national-vet-data/vet-privacy-notice

Surveys

You may receive a student survey which may be run by a government department or an NCVER employee, agent, third-party contractor or another authorised agency. Please note you may opt out of the survey at the time of being contacted.


Contact information

At any time, you may contact Allens Training Pty Ltd to:

  • request access to your personal information

  • correct your personal information

  • make a complaint about how your personal information has been handled

  • ask a question about this Privacy Notice