Complaints Procedure

Perform Australia understands that sometimes a student, parent, client or staff member may have a concern that needs close attention, and we encourage all those we interact with us to be open and honest about any concerns they have, so that miscommunications, errors, or other issues can be quickly resolved. 

 

We expect that any concerns presented to our staff are done in a manner that is respectful at all times.  Abusive behaviour towards Perform Australia's staff, whether in person, on the phone, or by electronic or other communication, will not be tolerated.

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Perform Australia’s management aims to ensure that all complaints and grievances are dealt in accordance with the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness.

 

The complaints procedure is made available to Perform Australia’s clientele, staff and students through our website and on request when needed.

All complaints will be documented and stored for future reference, along with their resolution.  

 

This policy should be read in conjunction with the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment at Perform Australia.

 

The Procedure

The steps in any complaints process, whether the complaint is initiated by a client or staff member, are as follows:

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1. Talk about it with the person concerned: Perform Australia encourages open communication and an environment of trust. So, in the first instance, an issue should be raised directly with the person responsible (staff member, fellow student, parent of a student, etc), or if that is not appropriate, with the person’s tutor or supervisor.  This generally allows for the most immediate resolution of problems.

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2. Discuss the issue with the CEO: If a complainant is unable to resolve a problem by the above method, the complainant should book a meeting with the CEO (or her representative assigned to dealing with concerns and complaints). The complainant can email or phone the admin staff to request an appointment — appointments for important issues are necessary to ensure enough time is allocated to address the problem. A complainant can bring a support person to the meeting if desired. The complainant will be asked questions so that the problem is fully understood and solutions can be recommended. 

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3. Lodge a formal complaint: Not all issues need to become formal complaints, but where an issue:

• Warrants in-depth investigation, or

• Is not covered by an existing policy or procedure, or

• Has not been resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction through previous discussions and solutions,

a formal complaint may be lodged. Formal complaints are to be submitted in writing using the Complaints Form and submitted to the CEO directly. The CEO will organise a meeting with the complainant and facilitate a resolution. All decisions at this level will be documented and parties will be informed of the decisions that have been reached. It is our policy that formal complaints be resolved within 60 days of their receipt in writing. Should a resolution process need to take longer, due to complexity, holiday shutdown periods, or unforeseen circumstances, the complainant will be advised of the expected duration of the process. 

 

4. Independent tribunal: Should a complainant still be unhappy or feel the matter is still unresolved, you have the option of independent arbitration, at your own expense, to review the dispute and suggest an amicable decision. 

 

Complaint Mitigation

 Complaints will be mitigated via the following processes:

• Invitations to students to give feedback

• Staff meetings, which allow for teacher feedback and discussion of issues

• Staff performance reviews.

• Regular review of documented issues and complaints and implementation of improvements.

 

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Policy on Harassment and Bullying

 

Perform Australia cares about creating an emotionally and physically safe educational environment for everyone, whether our students are children or adults.

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We also take any allegation of bullying or harassment very seriously.

 

Harassment is any behaviour which is unwelcome, offends, humiliates or intimidates the person being harassed. Sexual harassment is the most common form of harassment. Harassment will not be tolerated at Perform Australia, and disciplinary action will be taken against any employee or student involved in such behaviour.

Perform Australia recognises that it is often very difficult for victims of bullying and harassment to speak out about their problems. Staff, students or associates of Perform Australia who hear of harassment or bullying should encourage and support victims to speak out so that the matter can be addressed as soon as possible.

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Behaviours that will not be tolerated at Perform Australia include: 

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Bullying behaviour, which is repeated, unwanted attention to an individual, which may come in the form of

• Joking about a person’s body, gender, race, orientation, disability or other personal/innate characteristics

• Physical touch or abuse

• Put-downs and humiliating comments

• Intimidating and aggressive behaviour, including making threats of various kinds, whether on the phone, in person, or via electronic or other communications

• Deliberate exclusion of an individual from group activities

• Constant and unwanted messaging

• Spreading rumours

• Vexatious and repeated complaints without due cause

• and rallying others to do any of the above.

 

Sexual harassment, which includes (but is not limited to):

• Unwanted touching (hugs, kissing, ‘wandering hands’, other forms of body contact that have not been invited, or even just repeated invitations for physical contact)

• Sexual innuendo

• Coarse language, use of expletives and inappropriate or lewd conversation

• Sending or sharing sexually explicit or naked photographs by text, email or social media to the victim or others

• Sexual propositions, or repeated requests for dates

• Obscene telephone calls or other forms of messaging

• Repetitive use of foul language or language referring to gentalia and sexual body parts

• Wolf whistles

• Derogatory comments based on a person’s appearance

• Negative or derogatory comments about a person’s sexual orientation or behaviour

• Spreading rumours of a sexual nature or about someone’s sexuality.

 

People experiencing harassment are encouraged to make a note of any harassment in their diary, including details of times, dates and occurrences, any feelings or experiences at that time.

 

Where an issue of this nature is raised, Perform Australia may be able to assist people who have experienced harassment or bullying with:

• Intervening or asking the offender to stop the behaviour, including talking to the offending party on behalf of the victim

• Working with the victim on strategies to deal with the problem

• Straightening out any miscommunications or misunderstandings that have gotten out of hand

• Explaining the complaints process to assist the person to lodge a formal complaint

• Applying a restorative justice approach to facilitate improved relationships

• Facilitating a mediation session between the victim and the offending party to help work through issues in an objective way.

• Dealing with the police or acting as a support person when consulting or reporting to the police.

Disciplinary Measures for Harassment and Bullying

 

Students: Harassment, intimidation or any kind of violent, threatening or aggressive behaviour towards another student, teacher or other staff member, guest of Perform Australia or member of the public on our property, or on the phone or via any other form of communication, may result in the suspension or cancellation of a student’s enrolment, or conditions added to a student’s enrolment such as mandatory counselling or a leave of absence from a program. Incidents will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Decisions are made at the CEO’s discretion in consultation with affected staff and students.

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Staff: Harassment, intimidation or any kind of violent, threatening or aggressive behaviour towards a student, teacher or other staff member, guest of Perform Australia or member of the public on our property by a staff member, or on the phone or via any other form of communication, may result in a breach of contract and thus the termination of an employment contract. In other instances, counselling or leave of absence may be mandated, depending on the circumstances and the nature of the offence.

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Where a reportable offence has been committed by a staff member, Perform Australia management will take its role as a mandatory reporter very seriously and follow all necessary legal procedures.  

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Parents and Family Members of Students: Harassment of any staff member or student by a family member, partner or former partner of students, while on the property of Perform Australia, or on the phone or via any other form of communication, will result in that person being removed from the property by police, or the person's actions being reported to the police. Staff should call 000 if after being asked to leave, the offending person does not do so and the situation escalates. In the same vein, Perform Australia staff should be aware of any apprehended violence orders (AVOs) or domestic and family violence situations that staff or students have disclosed, so as to prevent offenders from having access to those staff or students while they are on Perform Australia property.

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Where a parent of a minor enrolled in a program with Perform Australia displays harassing, aggressive or bullying behaviour, there may be cause to cancel the child’s enrolment on the basis of the parent’s behaviour.