BCOSP Policies

We are serious about the policies that drive the whole our activities internally among departments and externally with other interested parties including local authorities.
BCOSP hse policy

The Health Safety Environment Policy

Everybody who works for BCOSP is responsible for getting HSE right. Good HSE performance and the health, safety and security of everyone who works for us are critical to the success of our business.

Our goals are simply stated – no accidents, no harm to people, and no damage to the environment.

We will produce quality products and services that can be used safely by our customers.

We will:

  • consult, listen and respond openly and constructively to our customers, employees, neighbors, regulators and our other stakeholders.
  • work with others – our partners, suppliers, competitors and regulators – to raise the standards of our industry
  • maintain a safe workplace and we plan our work and perform it safely.  We take responsibility for the safety of ourselves, coworkers, and guests.
  • as a minimum, comply with all applicable laws and regulations and any other requirements to which to company subscribes
  • openly report our performance, good and bad
  • recognize those who contribute to improved HSE performance

We are committed to continual improvement of our HSE performance and management system. Our business plans include measurable HSE targets. We are all committed to meeting them.

The Board of Directors
20 Feb, 2022

BCOSP quality assurance policy

The Quality Assurance Policy

Quality Assurance (QA) is the process of ensuring that training delivery and assessment practice is monitored in order to ensure that they meet our partners. At BCOSP , we operate a quality assurance policy to maintain the consistency and accuracy of assessments and ensure continual development of our working practices, resources, processes and procedures. This supports our aim to encourage and enable knowledge gathering and realize achievement through quality delivery.

We regularly monitor all of our courses. Our General Director frequently reviews all training delivery taking place in the center and Quality Assurance is carried out on an on-going basis to ensure consistent assessment standards are maintained following accrediting organizations and other awarding bodies’ guidelines.

Purpose: To meet the requirements placed on us by;

  • Our accrediting organizations;
  • Other awarding bodies;
  • Our students;
  • Our partners etc.

To support all employees to have excellent working practices via provision of formative training, supervision and observation processes.

To support and develop tutors in their working practices by affording them the opportunity to receive critically supportive comment on the assessment decisions reached on portfolio evidence and training/teaching techniques applied

To ensure provision of secure, hospitable, inspiring and engaging settings for learners.

To provide a continuous check on the consistency and quality of delivery and the consistency, quality and fairness of marking, grading and overall assessment of learner evidence

To ensure that valid, consistent assessment decisions are reached and external requirements are fully met.

To develop and maintain internal and external associations based on quality and integrity.

Scope

All employees, tutors and students; Quality Assurance of any work practices, documents and evidence that impact on the delivery, examination and assessment of qualifications and training supplied by BCOSP.

Roles and Responsibilities

Our General Director is responsible for ensuring that;

  • The quality requirements of our accrediting organizations, other awarding bodies and partners are met in the delivery and assessment of qualifications;
  • Quality Assurance policy and procedures are sufficient, regularly reviewed and known, understood and implemented by all;
  • All employees and tutors involved in the processes of delivery of services are appropriately trained and qualified through provision of rigorous recruitment processes, induction training and continual development;
  • All employees and tutors involved in QA processes are appropriately trained and qualified through provision of rigorous recruitment processes, induction training and continual development.

Employees and tutors involved in induction of students are responsible for ensuring:

  • Checking the identity of the student;
  • All paperwork is fully and accurately completed;
  • Students are inducted into their chosen program in a way that meets their needs.

Tutors are responsible for ensuring that:

  • Candidates/learners are aware of;
    • The different types of evidence that they can collect to prove competence of knowledge and working practices;
    • Their responsibilities in the collection, authentication and presentation of evidence;
  • The candidates/learners are fully supported throughout the term of their qualification. This should include:
    • Assessing the persons learning style and discussing their preferred ways of learning
    • Effective management evidence gathering, assessment and attainment
    • Agreeing and recording assessment and visit plans for each person
    • Completing regular reviews with the person and their employer to review progress and agree new targets
    • Providing the person with prompt, accurate, formative and summative feedback.
    • Demonstration of anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities
    • Maintenance of confidentiality and compliance with the data protection.
  • They observe learners’ performance through formative assessment and/or in simulated situations, and/or conduct other forms of assessment in accordance with the qualification and unit standards and the accrediting organizations
    • ensuring validity, authenticity, currency and sufficiency of evidence
    • maintaining appropriate, accurate and verifiable records
    • confirming that learners have demonstrated competence/knowledge and have completed the required documentation
  • As required they make themselves available and organize for their students to be available to the General Director and external Quality Assurers from our accrediting organizations and other awarding bodies.

Quality Assurers: Quality assurers are responsible for:

  • Ensuring that they lead, advise and support the tutors allocated to them through;
  • Ensuring adherence to the principles of assessment and guidance provided by the center;
  • Providing guidance on the interpretation and application of assessment criteria correctly and consistently applied;
  • Observation and supply of formative feedback on working practices;
  • Sampling of assessment activities such as assessment decisions, formative feedback supplied, completion of portfolio documents, student evaluation forms etc
  • Ensuring assessors have opportunities for updating and developing their professional competence;
  • Carrying out a quality audit of the documentation used within and format of the training courses;
  • Supporting, countersigning, dating assessments and quality assuring judgments by assessors and Quality Assurers not holding the appropriate assessor/Quality Assurer qualifications as approved and specified by the Regulatory Authorities.
  • Supporting the Training Center to meet its goals by;
    • Undertaking an active role in raising issues of good practice in assessment;
    • Ensuring that equal opportunities and anti‐discriminatory practices are upheld in the assessment process;
    • Liaising with other QAs and the External Quality Assurer to implement the requirements of the assessment system;
    • Ensuring that all Learners’ achievement records and Center documentation are completed in accordance with requirements;
    • Attending regular QA meetings.

Policy Implementation

  • The QA policy must be applied to every program with work that is internally assessed and which contributes to the final assessment outcome of a student.
  • Tutors and Quality Assurers will be given sufficient time, resources and authority to perform their roles and responsibilities effectively.

Qualifications

  • Only appropriately qualified and experienced tutors must carry out un-supported assessment. All tutors must have significant experience in the sector of the qualification
  • Appropriately qualified staff must carry out all internal quality assurance.

Observations

All tutors will have at least one observation per year by their allocated QA

QA observation should include;

  • Sight of Learning Plan
  • Agreement of objectives for the meeting/visit/session
  • Student performance and stretching
  • Questioning / Assessment / Training / Self-guided learning
  • Formative feedback

The Board of Directors
20 Feb, 2022

BCOSP equality diversity policy

The Equality & Diversity Policy

BCOSP recognizes that equality of opportunity and valuing diversity are essentially important.

This policy covers equality and diversity in relation to: gender, race, ethnic origin, disability, age, nationality, national origin, sexuality, religion or belief, marital status, trade union or political party membership, social class, pregnancy and maternity.

  • Our equality policy applies to BCOSP staff, our customer service and the delivery of our operations; following relevant equality and discrimination laws.
  • All employees and candidates who take part-time, full-time and temporary will be treated fairly and equally.
  • Selection for employment, promotion, training or any other benefit will be on the basis of aptitude and ability.
  • All employees will be assisted and encouraged to develop their full potential and the talents and resources of the workforce will be fully utilized to maximize the efficiency of the organization.

 Our Commitment

  • Every employee and client is entitled to a working environment which promotes dignity and respect to all. No form of intimidation, bullying or harassment will be tolerated.
  • The commitment to diversity and equality in the workplace is good management practice and makes sound business sense.
  • Breaches of our diversity and equality policy will be regarded as misconduct and as such may lead to disciplinary proceedings.
  • This policy is fully endorsed and actively promoted by the Company Directors; including an annual review, and monitoring where relevant.
  • All staff are committed to upholding our equality and diversity policy. Training and support is given to staff to interpret legislation and expectations in the workplace.

What we will do:

  • The organization recognizes and is committed to meeting its duties under equality legislation.
  • We are committed to improving equality practice throughout the company.
  • We will ensure that all employees, clients and customers are treated fairly and consistently, without discrimination.

We will take action to combat discrimination in all areas of employment and our operations on the grounds of age, gender, disability, family or marital status, race, nationality, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religious or other beliefs, responsibility for dependents, social class, income, trades union or political membership or activity, or any other grounds that cannot be shown to be justified.

We will do this via:

  • Ensuring that all employees are aware of the policy and receive training
  • Ensuring that all contractors and organizations providing services on our behalf have equality policies covering employment and service delivery or adopt our own policy.

Responsibilities

  • The Company Directors have ultimate responsibility for the Equality and Diversity Policy.
  • All staff are committed to supporting and delivering the policy in the organization, and in our operations.


The Board of Directors
20 Feb, 2022

BCOSP enquiries and appeals policy

The Enquiries & Appeals Policy

The purpose

BCOSP is committed to providing an efficient and high standard of service to our clients and learners. We continue working to achieve this high level of service by maintaining quality assurance standards which are compliant with regulatory requirements. It is our aim to ensure that all assessment outcomes are fair, consistent, and reliable based on the valid judgments of the assessor using the assessment strategy for the qualification in question. However, occasions may arise where the training provider or learner may wish to question a decision.

The Policy

BCOSP will ensure that:

  • Assessments are carried out by assessors who have the appropriate qualifications, knowledge, understanding, and skills, and the assessments are valid for the subject or qualification in question
  • Assessment evidence is authentic, solely being produced by the learner in question
  • The consistency of assessments decisions covering all assessors over time
  • Appeals are heard by individuals that have the appropriate competence to make decisions in each individual case and have had no prior involvement or a personal interest in the case.

Everyone has the right to appeal if they believe that their assessment decision or a decision following a malpractice or maladministration investigation is incorrect. This policy will define the stages and procedures you would need to follow, guidance is as follows:

  • The process you need to follow to submit an enquiry or appeal
  • The timescales for an enquiry or appeal
  • How and when you will be notified of the outcome.

BCOSP will accept an appeal in relation to the following:

  • Appeals against results of assessment or quality assurance
  • Appeals against a decision made relating to a reasonable adjustment or special considerations application
  • Appeals against decisions relating to any action taken against a learner or center following an investigation into malpractice or maladministration
  • Appeals against center or qualification approval decisions.

BCOSP has this Enquiries and Appeals Policy available on our website so all clients, learners and partners can access this information or can request a copy by contacting us. We are committed to providing an equal opportunity for all, where possible to communicate with us. Therefore, if a learner, client or partner wishes to enquire or appeal against an assessment decision they have clear guidance on how to proceed.

Firstly, we advise all learners to discuss any concerns or enquiries relating to the result of the assessment with the assessor to resolve the issue. If you are not satisfied with the outcome then please contact us for further advice and guidance or refer to the guide within this policy.

Stage 1: Enquiries Regarding Assessment Decisions

If a learner wishes to question an assessment result, they should initially discuss their concerns with the approved tutor/assessor. If the learner is not satisfied with the outcome, learners should contact for further action.

BCOSP will appoint the relevant manager to act as an adjudicator who has not had any involvement with the case. The adjudicator will consider the written submission from the course tutor/assessor and learner and will review the procedures. The adjudicator may instruct that a further re-mark or re-assessment should take place if they consider that the assessment procedures were not adequately followed.

Stage 2: Appeal

In a stage 2, the appeal must be submitted within 14 days of the stage 1 enquiry decision being received and accompanied. BCOSP will acknowledge receipt of this appeal and the appellant will be contacted within 7 working days. The appeals committee consists of senior managers or other individuals deemed to be appropriately competent, who have no personal interest in the decision being appealed and an independent person who is not an employee and assessor.

The appeals committee is unable to re-mark or re-assess work but may instruct that a further re-mark or re-assessment should take place if they consider that the procedures were not adequately followed. The appeals committee will make the final decision and notify the appellant of the outcome by letter as soon as it is available, within a maximum of 28 days. If the appeal is upheld the appeal administration fees will be reimbursed to the learner.

If the outcome of an appeal at any stage leads to BCOSP discovering a failure in the assessment process, an investigation shall be conducted to determine if there are any other learners affected, and if there are any adverse effects arising from the failure. If this is the case, BCOSP shall promptly implement the adverse effects procedure and take decisive action to correct the failure, or if this is not possible to reduce the impact of the failure on any learners.

Monitoring and Review

This policy will be reviewed annually as part of our quality assurance requirements to ensure it is fit for purpose, reflects the type of appeals that we may receive and ensure the process is managed in accordance with regulatory requirements.

The Board of Directors
20 Feb, 2022

BCOSP complaint policy

The Complaints Policy

Introduction

BCOSP is committed to providing an efficient and high standard of service to our clients and/or learners.
We continue working to achieve this high level of service by implementing a quality assurance policy and take every care to ensure we are delivering a high standard of service but are aware that there may be occasions that we do not meet both yours and our expectations. If so, please raise your concerns with us immediately so we can address them, respond positively and rectify any mistakes made.

The Policy
We are committed to promoting fairness and equality of treatment to all. We are willing to take positive or negative feedback from any individual that has been directly affected by our services. We strive to think that our clients and/or learners have confidence that we will listen to their views and act upon them accordingly. All written correspondence will be acknowledged by us within 7 working days, any dissatisfaction received will be treated as a complaint.

Our aim is to provide our clients and/or learners with a clear, precise process to follow when they feel the need to make a complaint and communicate effectively the process BCOSP will follow to resolve the complaint.

We aim to ensure:

  • The complaints procedure is an easy process to follow and is prompt and efficient
  • All complaints are treated as a dissatisfaction with our level of service
  • The resolution is to the complainant’s satisfaction (explanation, apology, action taken) and our staff when dealing with the complaint are courteous, consultative, and responsive
  • Complaints and feedback received is reviewed in line with our quality assurance standards to help improve our products and services.

Everyone has the right to raise a complaint, so this policy will define the stages and procedures you would need to follow, guidance is as follows:

  • The process you need to follow to raise a complaint
  • The appropriate person who this should be directed to
  • The timescales for the complaint to be investigated
  • How and when you will be notified of the outcome.

We will refer a complaint not under this policy in relation to the following:

  • If the complaint relates to any assessment decision or course results, please refer to our Enquiries and Appeals Policy
  • Any form of malpractice or maladministration, this will be dealt with under our Malpractice and Maladministration Policy.

Raising Concerns and Making Complaints

All individuals can access the information about our complaint’s policy through our website or can request a copy by contacting us at board@bcosp.org. We are committed to providing an equal opportunity for all, where possible to communicate with us.

Tutors and assessors may raise a complaint directly to BCOSP by following this policy as well.

If you have attended a course and are dissatisfied with the service or are seeking a refund of your course fee you must firstly try to resolve this matter with our coordinator and learners must have known this complaints policy before raising a complaint with us. If you are not satisfied with your complaints, please contact BCOSP General Director further advice.

A complaint can be raised by an individual, a group or a third party who is acting on behalf of someone else. If a third party is submitting a complaint on behalf of someone else, they will need written permission from the complainant along with the written complaint attached, this should then be presented to BCOSP for acceptance.

Once BCOSP has received a complaint, an acknowledgement will be sent within 7 working days. The complaint will be reviewed in line with our policies and procedures and an investigation will be conducted where necessary.
To ensure a fair and thorough process is followed the duration of the investigation will depend on the nature and severity of the complaint we receive at this stage, or the complexity of the response required. We do aim to provide this as soon as the outcome is available or within a maximum of 28 days.

How to Make a Complaint

Informal Process

We understand that most individuals who are not satisfied with a service would like it addressed and dealt with as soon as possible, therefore an informal process would be far more appropriate.

An informal process will be more efficient resolving complaints quickly by mediating between who is responsible for the dissatisfaction and the complainant. The complaint may be resolved immediately following this process, so we encourage our clients and/or learners to contact us directly at 0966.449.449 for an informal discussion if they have a complaint that needs to be resolved to achieve the desirable outcome.

If a complaint cannot be resolved informally then the formal complaints procedure should be followed. We may require further information from the complainant to ensure that we fully understand what the complaint is about. We will investigate accordingly to achieve the best outcome.

Formal Process

Stage 1

If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome from the informal process, the dissatisfaction should be submitted in writing to BCOSP. Once we have received this information, we will send acknowledgement of receipt to the complainant within 7 working days and an investigation to resolve the dissatisfaction will commence.

BCOSP will identify an appropriate manager to review the complaint for further investigation and the complainant will be notified of the individual responsible for this. The member of management will conduct a further investigation in to the complaint, upon completion of the investigation they will communicate and notify the complainant and provide them with an explanation or resolution.

To ensure a fair and thorough process is followed the duration of the investigation will depend on the nature and severity of the complaint we receive at this stage, or the complexity of the response required. We do aim to provide this as soon as the outcome is available or within a maximum of 28 days of receiving the stage 1 complaint. In some cases, this may take longer to conclude the complaint with an outcome, in these instances the complainant will be notified of revised timescales.

If the complainant remains dissatisfied with the outcome from the manager’s investigation the next steps to pursue are stage 2 of the complaint’s procedure.

Stage 2

If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome from the stage 1 complaints process, they are able to request a review of the complaint by a senior manager. This must take place within 14 days of the outcome of the original complaint and must be submitted in writing. The senior manager will determine if appropriate procedures were followed and the complaint was answered fully, if there is new evidence submitted in support of the complaint this will also be reviewed. Following review, we shall aim to notify the complainant in writing as soon as possible of the outcome, within a maximum of 28 days.

If the client or learner is not satisfied with the final response, they may then refer the complaint to the appropriate regulatory authority.

Monitoring and Review

BCOSP is committed to continual improvement. All complaints received by BCOSP are reviewed to prevent re-occurrence to improve the suitability and effectiveness of our policies and procedures and to contribute to the development of qualifications that are fit for purpose and meet individual needs.

The Board of Directors
20 Feb, 2022