Concerns and complaints process
Advice for students, staff, parents, whanau and community
Concerns and Complaints Policy
Outcome statement
All complaints, concerns and incidents are attended to promptly, respectfully, and professionally and seek to bring effective resolution to all parties concerned.
Scoping
In order to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for all students, staff and visitors, an accessible procedure for handling complaints and grievances will be implemented and maintained to provide an open and fair way of resolving issues and will comply with all relevant legislation.
Delegations
The board delegates to the principal full responsibility of ensuring processes are in place and operating effectively and adequately. In the event of a complaint or grievance concerning the principal, responsibility lies with the board.
Expectations and limitations
In complying with the policy, the principal shall not fail to:
• Implement and maintain robust procedures to meet the policy requirements.
• Ensure that the process for complaints or grievances is clearly communicated and posted on the school website and app, and copies of the complaint’s procedure are available at the front administration office.
• Ensure that the complainant has previously followed the school’s concerns and complaints procedure before escalating to board level.
Should the board receive a complaint regarding the principal or determine that any policy violation may have occurred, the board in the first instance will consider whether this may be dealt with in an informal manner (as per the employment agreement provisions that apply to the principal).
Where the board considers the degree and seriousness of the concern or any violation sufficient to warrant initiating a disciplinary or competency process, the board shall seek the support and advice in the first instance from an NZSTA adviser to ensure due process is followed.
The board shall advise its insurance agent of any complaint escalated to the board.
Once the Dispute Resolution Scheme comes into effect, if a serious dispute is not able to be resolved, the board shall advise the parent of their right to apply to the Chief Referee for the dispute to be resolved by a dispute resolution panel.
Procedures/supporting documentation
Parent and staff concerns and complaints process – C4 – NZSTA Governance framework
Monitoring
The principal shall maintain a register of complaints and resolutions and report to the board at least quarterly per annum outlining numbers of complaints, resolution success figures and any areas of concern for board deliberation.
Legislative compliance
Education and Training Act 2020
Relevant employment agreements
Relevant professional standards
For further advice please contact the Advisory and Support Centre on 0800 782 435, option 1 or email govadvice@nzsta.org.nz