Grievance
Policy 2021
Forming part of: Giant Steps Tasmania’s Personnel Manual
GRIEVANCE POLICY, 2021
Forming part of: Giant Steps Tasmania’s Personnel Manual
Policy Statement
A copy of this policy and attached addenda is available on the school’s website, is given to parents/ carers on enrolment of a student and to staff members during their induction.
All staff of Giant Steps Tasmania have the right to a safe working environment and all staff, parents/ carers and students at Giant Steps Tasmania have the right to be treated fairly, with dignity and respect.
It is Giant Steps Tasmania’s intention that this policy and its procedures are clear, open and accessible to all members of the school community and that procedural fairness is accorded to both the complainant and the person against whom the complaint is made.
Policy Purpose
The prime purpose of the Policy is to facilitate amicable resolutions that result in:
This Policy guides Giant Steps Tasmania’s approach in the management of complaints which arise as a result of grievances.
Giant Steps Tasmania provides these procedures so that staff can have a workplace grievance addressed and so that parents/ carers and students can have grievances relating to perceived inequities of treatment or procedures addressed. All staff members, parents/ carers and students have the right to use the procedures in this policy.
In Tasmania it is a requirement that schools’ Grievance Policies must include separate procedures for different types of complaints. Standard 12 from the Education Regulations 2017 requires that complaints by staff and complaints from parents/ carers are processed separately and that complaints against the principal are processed separately from other complaints. While the underpinning principles are similar, separate procedures are provided as addenda to this policy.
Definitions
A Grievance means a complaint from a staff member, parent/ carer or student concerning treatment at Giant Steps Tasmania that is inequitable or procedurally unfair; or a complaint that arises from perceived personal concerns relating to one or more work-related interpersonal relationships.
If more than one staff member/ parent/ carer/ student raises the same or substantially similar grievance(s), then each matter will be managed separately.
Implementation
In the case of all grievances, Giant Steps Tasmania will review the allegations and respond to the staff member, parent/ carer or student who raised the complaint.
Neither the Principal nor any member of the Board of Governors will accept any anonymous allegation or complaint and should any member of the Giant Steps Tasmania staff be found to be involved in the submission of an anonymous allegation or complaint, disciplinary measures will be taken against them.
Giant Steps Tasmania aims to ensure that:
It is expected that most grievances will be resolved informally. Before entering into the formal process, the aggrieved staff member/ parent/ carer or student should attempt to resolve the grievance with the help of the Principal or, if the grievance is against the Principal, with the help of a member of the Giant Steps Tasmania Board.
In circumstances where it is not possible to resolve the matter informally, the Principal or the member of the Board may refer the matter to the Chair of the Board within ten (10) working days of the action forming the grievance having taken place and a formal grievance procedure will commence:
The Chair of the Board will:
If a grievance is investigated under this Policy and findings are made that substantiate any or all of the allegations made, the Chair of the Board may:
A grievance can be withdrawn at any time in writing with all aspects of confidentiality being maintained throughout. No further action will be taken unless the grievance relates to possible physical danger, criminal investigation, disciplinary action or employer liability. In these cases the Chair of the Board must be informed, irrespective of which stage the grievance has reached and he/ she may refer the matter to an external agency.
The parties to a grievance are required, at all stages of this policy and procedure, to maintain confidentiality in relation to the concern or compliant. The parties must not disclose, by any form of communication, either the fact or the substance of the matter to anyone other than an advocate, staff or a qualified counsellor.
A person must not victimise or otherwise subject another person to detrimental action as a consequence of that person raising, providing information about, or otherwise being involved in the resolution of a grievance under these procedures.
Any breach of either the confidentiality or non-victimisation requirements will be treated seriously by Giant Steps Tasmania, and may result in disciplinary action.
Giant Steps Tasmania keeps a log of all complaints and their outcome. All complaints are recorded in the complaints register, classified and analysed to identify systemic, recurring and single incident problems and trends in order to identify key risk areas and help eliminate the underlying causes of complaints through corrective actions.
The Principal can be contacted by email on principal@giantsteps.tas.edu.au
The Chair of the Board should be contacted in writing:
c/o Giant Steps Tasmania
PO Box 300
Deloraine
TAS 7304
Authorised by: |
Paul Bowman |
Position: |
Chair of Board |
Signature: |
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Date revisions accepted: |
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Original policy developed by: |
Chris Jacobsen |
Position: |
(Previously) Education Administrator |
Date Original Policy developed: |
March 7th – May 18th 2016 |
Date of last review: |
June 2019 |
Staff consultation period: |
June 2021 |
Revisions prepared by: |
Chris Jacobsen, Fairlight Educational Consulting |
Date of next review: |
July 2023 |