CHRYSALIS CODE OF PRACTICE MARCH 2010

The Chrysalis Code of Practice consists in the Code of Practice and its constituent concerns and complaints procedures.

CODE OF PRACTICE

1.      Students will not discriminate on the basis of race, age, gender, disability, religion or culture.

2.      Students will be prepared to examine their personal anxieties and any issues of transference towards fellow students or Chrysalis staff during their training.  (“Transference” means the projection of your own inner anxieties, concerns, feelings and patterns onto a third party.)

3.      Students must take responsibility for their safety to practice and must honestly and in a timely manner declare to Chrysalis the following: if they have been diagnosed mentally ill; are actively addicted to drugs or alcohol; have an unspent criminal conviction or any history of criminal sexual or physical violence – upon any of which they will be removed from the course.  Furthermore they must declare honestly and in a timely manner any past history of addiction to drugs or alcohol, any history of depression, any criminal history, any history of complaints in this or allied fields, are seriously bereaved, pregnant or epileptic – upon any of which Chrysalis will take appropriate action if necessary.

4.      Students will at all times treat Chrysalis staff with courtesy and respect, and not engage in inappropriate behaviour in the classroom.

5.      Clients (a) Students will keep correct records of case histories and will keep client records confidential, abiding by the Data Protection Act (b) Students have sole & full legal responsibility for their clients, throughout and after training. (c) Students will only offer therapies when the client is physically present (d) Students will only use methods and approaches with clients deemed appropriate by Chrysalis while in training. (e) if advised by Chrysalis not to commence or to terminate a client relationship, students will do so while in training (f) clients must be seen at appropriate venues such as a home where adequate security measures are in place, or a clinic or similar space.  Public spaces such as pubs, restaurants, cafés etc are excluded.

6.      Relationship with Chrysalis (a) Students will make it possible for Chrysalis to leave them a message via voicemail or answering machine should they be unreachable by phone, and will update Chrysalis in writing with any change of address, phone number or email. (b) Students will give their tutor 48 hours notice if they intend to miss a class (c) Students agree that no Chrysalis course equips them to offer training (d) Students agree to keep correspondence between themselves and Chrysalis confidential and not to share it with other students, and to ensure that any complaint or welfare issue is raised individually and in confidence, rather than as, or “on behalf of” a group of students or another student.

7.      Practice Groups (a) Students agree that the Code of Practice applies to Practice Groups as arranged between themselves and other students (b) should a Student wish to leave a Practice Group, or should a Practice Group by majority consensus wish to ask a Student to find another group, no reason need be given but the Tutor must be notified within one week of such a decision. (c) Students agree to extend their professionalism to practice groups and thus agree not to arrive at a practice group in an intoxicated state, or consume alcohol during a practice session. (d) Chrysalis may terminate or modify any practice group at its discretion.

8.      Students agree not to socialise with past or present Chrysalis tutors.

9.      Concerns & Complaints Students agree to abide by the Chrysalis Concerns & Complaints Procedure for the time being in force.

10.  Codes of Ethics Students are additionally bound by the professional Codes of Ethics of the primary accrediting bodies of their respective courses.

CHRYSALIS CONCERNS & COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE (MARCH 2010 Edition)

Basic Principles

The Chrysalis Concerns & Complaints Procedure (MARCH 2010 Edition) is designed to allow students to resolve issues surrounding all aspects of their course and surrounding other students in a clear, equitable and timely manner.   It is also designed to allow Chrysalis resolve issues surrounding students in a similar manner.

The following Basic Principles of the Procedure should be borne in mind:

1. With the exception of a complaint of abuse all concerns and complaints should, where possible, be resolved through an informal process of discussion. Informal discussion is entirely appropriate for the profession of counselling and therapu and allows all sides the chance to resolve issues in a satisfactory manner.  For this reason, it is compulsory for concerns and complaints to be addressed via informal discussion before Chrysalis will accept a formal, written complaint.  The procedures for this are set out below.

2. Complainants are expected to address their own anxieties, issues and transference in advance of expressing a concern or making a complaint and to honour this procedure as a potential part of their therapeutic development.

3. Chrysalis may terminate the complaints procedure if the complainant is hostile or discourteous towards staff.

4. Issues of refund policy and amounts are dealt with in the Personal Training Agreement and are not subject to these procedures.  If you have withdrawn and signed a withdrawal form you cannot make a complaint.

5. Students are contractually bound to honour this procedure and any complaint not doing so will be dismissed.

6. Complaints must be made individually and under no circumstances by groups of students (e.g. practice groups or other social groups) or by a student claiming to act “on behalf of” other students.

7. All complaints are strictly confidential between the complainant and Chrysalis except that where a formal written complaint is made about a third party (e.g. a tutor or fellow student) the third party has the right to view the complaint and to respond.  Any student aware of a breach of said confidentiality must notify Chrysalis.

8. Complaints must be started within seven days of the concern first occurring or they will not be heard.

9. Complaints cannot be made anonymously.

10. Students are legally and contractually bound to follow these procedures before taking any further action.  Students taking action outside of these procedures without first following them are potentially liable for Chrysalis’s legal and other costs.

THE PROCEDURE FOR STUDENTS

1. (a)If you have a concern or complaint, first address this orally to your tutor in the hope of achieving a resolution of the concern, within seven days of the issue arising.  You are advised to arrange a time to telephone them outside of class in order to resolve the issue, and to ensure that you cover all the points that you wish to.  At the end of the conversation, your tutor will ask you if you feel that the matter has been resolved and you should indicate accordingly.  You must indicate what solution you wish to see enacted for the concern you are raising. Your tutor will make a note of the time and date of your conversation.

You should note that your tutor cannot respond to complaints in writing.

2. If step 1 does not resolve your complaint, call the Student Welfare Line on 01278 420572.   If no-one answers you will be able to leave a message and should do so.  Your call will normally be returned within one working day.

When phoning the student welfare line you will need to indicate the time and date of your conversation with your tutor.  Chrysalis will verify this with your tutor before proceeding further.

A telephone conversation will then be arranged in which you can raise your concerns and Chrysalis will attempt to address these. You must indicate what solution you wish to see enacted for the concern you are raising.  You will be asked at the end of the conversation if the matter has been resolved and you should indicate accordingly.

NB ALL WRITTEN COMPLAINTS WHICH HAVE NOT FOLLOWED STEPS 1-2 ABOVE WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE REJECTED UNTIL THESE STEPS HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED.   See below for exceptions.

3. If step 2 does not resolve your complaint, you should write to the Assistant Course Manager at the office within seven days of step 2, itemizing your complaint in writing.  Your written complaint must satisfy all the following conditions, failing which it will be rejected:

a.)   It must be headed “Formal Complaint” and be signed and dated by yourself.

b.)   You must stipulate that you have been through steps 1 and 2 and supply dates and times for this

c.)   You must itemize the separate issues in your complaint

d.)   You must state what you would like to happen to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction.

e.)   Your complaint is not anonymous and there is no request for anonymity

f.)    Your complaint is not part of a cluster of complaints which have been coordinated or discussed amongst a group of students, e.g. a practice group, or on behalf of or in support of another complainant

g.)   You undertake to maintain confidentiality during the complaints process.

N.B.  Your written complaint will be copied to all parties relevant to the complaint to allow them right of reply (for example, if you complain about your tutor, your tutor will be sent a copy of your complaint and asked to make a written response to it.) 

4. The Assistant Course Manager will respond in writing and address your complaint within 28 days.   Your complaint may be agreed with in full or in part, or rejected in full or in part. 

5. APPEAL. If you are dissatisfied with the written response to your complaint in step 4, you may appeal within seven days to the Deputy Principal by writing to the Deputy Principal at the office.  Your written appeal must satisfy all of the following conditions, failing which it will be rejected:

a.)   It must be headed “Formal Appeal” and be signed and dated by yourself

b.)   You apply steps c-g above as per the initial formal complaint

c.)   You cannot add further causes of complaint beyond those originally stated in your formal complaint.

6. Only if you have followed steps 1-5 and you are still dissatisfied, you may make an external appeal to the primary accrediting body relevant to your course (Hypnotherapy Society in Year 1, Counselling Society in subsequent years.)  Chrysalis is bound to provide you with the relevant details.  Once an external appeal commences, no further correspondence can occur direct between Chrysalis and the complainant.  Chrysalis will be bound by the decision of the primary accrediting body.

N.B.   Complaints falling outside of this procedure breach your contract with Chrysalis and could incur legal costs.

THE PROCEDURE FOR CHRYSALIS

1. Your tutor, or any Chrysalis member of staff, may ask to speak with you to informally raise a complaint or concern.  They may require a therapeutic course of action or other remedy (e.g. undertaking a course of counselling to work on a specific issue.) 

2. If the complaint or concern is not resolved to the satisfaction of Chrysalis by step 1 (or you are unobtainable), the Assistant Course Manager or designated officer will write to you outlining the points of concern or complaint.  You will be required to respond in writing within seven days.  At its discretion, at any time during this procedure, Chrysalis may suspend your studies.

2(b) if the concern or complaint has been raised by another student, or by your tutor or a third party, the procedure will commence at Step 2 and the student’s, tutor’s or third party’s written complaint will be forwarded to you for response.

3. After your response, or in the case of non-response, within seven days, the Assistant Course Manager or designated officer will write to you outlining the remedy Chrysalis feels appropriate to your situation together with a formal ruling.  You must either accept or reject this ruling in writing within seven days.

4. If you accept the remedy, the procedure has reached a satisfactory conclusion.  If you do not respond, your studies will be suspended.  If you disagree, you should go to step 5.

5. Within seven days, write a letter headed “Appeal to Ruling” to the Deputy Principal itemizing your concerns.

6. Within 28 days, the Deputy Principal will respond in writing in response to your Appeal and will either uphold or overturn the Ruling.

7. The decision of the Principal or (Deputy Principal) shall be final.

EXCEPTIONS – ABUSE, PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT & HEALTH AND SAFETY, REASONABLE TIME DELAYS

If your complaint involves an allegation of abuse or criminal activity you should commence your complaint at Step 2.

If Chrysalis receives an accusation of abuse, criminal activity or gross professional misconduct, or is aware of a serious welfare issue or an issue with serious health and safety implications for students, staff or clients, or any issue which would have a serious detrimental effect on the studies of other students, it may utilise any reasonable emergency procedure necessary to resolve the situation as it arises.

Should any member of Chrysalis staff relevant to this procedure be on holiday or on sick leave then this procedure may be subject to reasonable delay, of which all parties shall be given due notice.