Policies

Appeals Policy

Total Communication 4 U (TC4U) aim to treat every candidate fairly, using

reliable assessment methods and high- quality, trained assessors. However, if
you disagree with a decision we have made, you can request an appeal against
that decision.

If you want TC4U to have another look at your result, you must contact us as
soon as possible after you receive your result.

If your assessment was in BSL, TC4U will have a copy of the assessment clip(s).
Your tutor will be able to look at your assessment again, and advise you whether
an appeal might be worthwhile.

If your assessment was carried out by staff at TC4U (internal assessment), you
must go through our appeals processes first.

What happens to appeals?

We may ask for one of these procedures:

• A ‘clerical check’ to make sure you have been given the correct result: we
double-check that the correct mark has been entered into our database,
and that no other handling error has been made;

• A ‘re-mark’: we arrange for a senior assessor to mark your work. This will
not be the assessor who initially marked it.

A re-mark can either confirm the original mark as a ‘fail’, or change it to a ‘pass’.

If your result changes from ‘fail’ to ‘pass’, we will issue a new result slip and send
you a certificate. If your result is still ‘fail’ we simply inform you that the original
result stands.

Cost of appeals

We charge a fee for appeals, because they involve quite a lot of work for us.
However, if your result changes from ‘fail’ to ‘pass’ after an appeal, we refund the
fee.
  

Further appeals

If you are still unhappy with your result after the re-mark, you can ask TC4U to
take the matter further. This doesn’t happen very often, but we do have
procedures for dealing with these cases.

Complaints Policy

Total Communication 4 U (TC4U) endeavours to develop and sustain good

practice in all areas of its work, including administration, assessment and
verification, and registration. Where a problem occurs, TC4U has standard
procedures for dealing with complaints, investigation requests and appeals from
candidates and other customers.

All such contacts with TC4U will be recorded, monitored, evaluated, and details
of the outcomes will be published.

Complaints about the conduct of examinations must be made BEFORE the

results are issued.

Dealing with Complaints

TC4U will:

• publish details of the names and address(es) of who to contact in the event
of a complaint being necessary;

• where possible deal with minor problems immediately, where these can be
rectified on the spot. Where this is not possible, we will request that the
complaint is put in writing or video letter, and we will tell the customer to
whom the complaint will be referred;

• acknowledge all written/video letter complaints immediately, and within 28

working days either provide a resolution or an outline of proposed action
to seek a resolution, and the name of the person dealing with the
complaint;

• resolve every complaint within deadlines set in this response, unless

particular circumstances require a lengthier response time;

• keep the customer informed of the progress of the complaint, and reasons
  
for any delay in resolving it;

• refer the complaint to a Co-director for review, in the event of the customer
not being satisfied with the response;

• refer the complaint to an independent reviewer, in the event of the customer

not being satisfied with one of the Co-director’s response;

• keep a record of complaints and develop procedures for corrective action to

prevent repetition;

• monitor performance in improving procedures, against complaints received,

and make available the results of such monitoring.

All enquiries on any of the above matters should be addressed to:

Co-directors,
TC4U,
PO Box 825,
Bognor Regis,
West Sussex,
PO21 9GB.

Alternatively, enquiries can be made to info@totalcommunication4u.com

Customer Service Statement

Total Communication 4 U is committed to providing customers with a quality of

service that is:

• open and informative;

• prompt and efficient;

• consultative and responsive;

• cost-effective.

Information about Total Communication 4 U policies and each Signature

(formally known as CACDP) qualification is available on our website.
  

Data Protection Policy

This document explains your rights, as a customer of Total Communication 4 U

(TC4U), under the Data Protection Act 1998.

It explains why we require your personal data, and what you can expect from us
in terms of our Data Protection responsibilities.

TC4U Data Protection Statement

TC4U is fully committed to compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998. The
following principles will apply when we handle your personal information:

• Your personal information is only processed with your knowledge;

• Only information that we actually need is collected and processed;

• Your personal information is only seen by those who need it to do their jobs;

• Personal information is retained only for as long as it is required;

• Decisions affecting you are made on the basis of reliable and up to date
information;

• Your information is protected from unauthorised or accidental disclosure;

• We will provide you with a copy of your personal information on request;

• Inaccurate or misleading data will be corrected as soon as possible;

• Procedures are in place for dealing promptly with any disputes;

• These principles apply whether we hold your information on paper or in

electronic form.

Information about TC4U policies and each Signature (formally known as CACDP)
qualification is available on our website.

Equal Opportunities Policy

Total Communication 4 U (TC4U) will at all times encourage and promote

policies and practices which ensure equality of opportunity for its staff, its
  
members and the consumers of its services irrespective of ethnic origin, gender,
sexual orientation, religion and disability.

The main aim of this policy is to ensure that no job applicant, or employee, or
customer should receive less favourable treatment on any grounds not relevant
to good employment practice or providing services. Further, TC4U will monitor
the composition of the workforce and is committed to a programme of action to
make this policy fully effective.

Responsibility

TC4U’s Co-directors has a responsibility for the formulation of equal

opportunities policies and procedures to support TC4U’s overall policy and for
overseeing their implementation.

The Co-directors has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that TC4U’s policy is
fully implemented. The Co-directors has a specific delegated responsibility for the
effective development and implementation of equal opportunities in employment.

TC4U encourages all staff to understand and co-operate with the policy and
provides training and information to ensure this happens.

Implementation

Appropriate procedures are being developed and introduced to ensure that all
members of staff are aware of TC4U’s policies concerning equal opportunities in
employment, and services, and their responsibilities to implement them.

All employees and job applicants will be asked to complete a form denoting their
sex, race, ethnic origin and any disabilities. TC4U guarantees that this form will
only be used for the purpose of monitoring the effectiveness of its equal
opportunities policy only.

Complaints

Complaints of discrimination from job applicants must be referred to the Co-

directors in the first instance who will ensure they are investigated and that the
complainant receives a written response.
All complaints regarding TC4U’s assessment procedures are logged and follow
set procedures. At the higher levels of assessment any candidate who disputes
the assessors decision has the right of appeal. Details of complaints and appeal
procedures for examinations are outlined in TC4U’s Complaints Procedure.

Positive Action
  
The composition of the workforce and of job applicants will be monitored on a
regular basis. Should inequalities become apparent, positive action will be taken
to reduce the imbalance including such measures as:

• advertising jobs in ethnic publications as appropriate;

• encouraging under-represented groups to apply for suitable posts;

• making contact with disabled people via the local Job Centre;

• informing member organisations of under-represented groups on

Advisory/Management Committees;

• encouraging the employment of under-represented groups by Sign

Language Interpreting

• Agencies or Communication Support Units (CSUs);

• encouraging training organisations to recruit students of under-represented

groups to train as interpreters and other Language Service Professionals.

Review

TC4U’s policy statement on Equal Opportunities is reviewed on a regular basis to

ensure that it continues to reflect current practice.

Fees Policy

Total Communication 4 U (TC4U) will review its fee structure annually.

The review will consider the likely number of candidates expected to take each
assessment, along with associated costs, direct and indirect, produced from the
organisation’s accounting records.

Wherever possible, the fee will be set at such a level that it at least covers its
costs, is affordable by its target candidates, and contributes towards the
development of future qualifications, and associated activities.

The TC4U website contains course fees that are known for 2010.

Malpractice Policy

Total Communication 4 U, as do Signature, treats any example of malpractice

  
with the greatest seriousness, and will take action in any case where malpractice
is confirmed.

Examples constituting malpractice might include:

• Fraudulent claims for certification;

• Non-approved assessor claiming approved status;

• Deliberate breach of examination or other regulations.

TC4U, an Approved Centre, must report any cases of suspected malpractice to

Signature immediately. Failure to do so may have implications for the issue of
certificates and the future acceptance of entries from us.

Signature will report all significant cases of malpractice to the Examinations

Regulator (Ofqual) immediately, and all other cases upon request.

Signature will investigate cases of suspected malpractice in the following

manner:

• Evidence will be collected from persons alleging malpractice;

• Counter-evidence will be collected from persons denying malpractice;

• All evidence will be examined by Signature using processes that may have
one or more stages. The process may require the involvement of any of the
following:

- centre Co-director(s);

- Signature staff;

- other interested parties.

• If the above procedures do not resolve the issue, an independent Appeals

Panel, supplemented if necessary with a subject expert for advice only, will
be asked to adjudicate. All parties involved may make representations to
the panel. The decision of this panel is final;

• Outcome of procedure may result in:

- candidate(s) work declared invalid;

- centre approval withdrawn;

  

- assessor/verifier accreditation withdrawn;

- malpractice not found;

- where appropriate, information passed to other awarding

bodies/other agencies;

- other appropriate outcome.

• Outcome of procedure recorded and where necessary reported to Ofqual.

Where malpractice involves misuse of certificates, Signature will inform
Ofqual and agree appropriate action.