Malpractice and Maladministration Policy

Malpractice and maladministration

Malpractice may be defined as deliberate wrong doing or misconduct. Maladministration may be defined as inefficient, bad or dishonest management or administration. This may or may not be deliberate. The two can overlap. The following list is not exhaustive, but is intended to give examples of malpractice / maladministration within the context of training, assessment and certification. 

Learners

• falsifying records
• pretending to be someone else
• failing to disclose a medical condition which might jeopardise the safety of themselves or other people
• selling, lending or otherwise misusing skills identity cards
• cheating during assessment.

Providers, instructors or assessors

• giving deliberately misleading information
• failing to carry out assessments as required for the qualification concerned
• breach of confidentiality of assessment materials (including loss or theft)
• copying test papers without authorisation
• making changes to materials, including test questions without prior approval from the certificating body
• failing to carry out adequate internal quality assurance procedures
• submitting false claims for certificates or skills identity cards
• failing to co-operate with anyone carrying out quality assurance checks
• misusing the Vale Training Services logo or Vale Training Services materials or that of any certificating body
• failing to act in accordance with the conditions of approval as an instructor, trainer, assessor or provider. 

Vale Training Services requires that providers, instructors, assessors examiners and external verifiers report any cases of suspected malpractice and/or maladministration to Vale Training Services.

Outcomes

Where investigations show that malpractice or maladministration has occurred, Vale Training Services will take appropriate action.  This could include: 

• a temporary or permanent ban on attending Vale Training Services courses or registering for other qualifications
• a temporary or permanent suspension of approval as an instructor or assessor
• withdrawal of certificates or cards.

 

Right to Appeal

Those involved in the malpractice or maladministration case may appeal against the outcome or any sanction(s) imposed as a result.  Details of how to appeal are included in Vale Training Services’s Appeals Policy. 

Prevention of malpractice and maladministration

Potential for malpractice and maladministration is considered as part of the development, delivery design and the award of the qualification as far as is reasonably possible.

 

Vale Training Services requires all relevant persons to confirm that they have a policy for preventing and investigating malpractice and maladministration.

Vale Training Services will upon request provide guidance to providers as to how to best prevent, investigate, and deal with malpractice and maladministration. 

Notification to Regulators

If certificates may be invalid due to malpractice or maladministration Vale Training Services will report this to Ofqual and will fully co-operate with investigations carried out. In such cases Vale Training Services will seek to agree a course of remedial action with Ofqual. 

Where malpractice and/or maladministration is suspected in relation to SVQ centres, SQA will be notified as required in the SQA Awarding Body Criteria (2007).

 Reviewed July 2020