Find our company operational policies here
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. recognises that promoting equality and diversity is essential to deliver quality, culturally appropriate training and support services to all sections of the community for which we serve. We are committed to practices that offer equality of opportunity to all employees, learners and service users.
It is SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. policy that no applicant, learner, employee or service user, receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of their:
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. embraces the diversity of its employees, learners and service users and endeavours to support the individual needs wherever possible. We recognise that inequality exists within society and that some sections of society continue to receive less favourable treatment and are limited in access to opportunities based upon their:
In some cases the primary causes of inequality are direct discrimination i.e. prejudice, hatred, oppressive practice and lack of awareness is generally a more common contributor. This can lead to institutional barriers whereby the policies, procedures, systems and processes of an organisation systematically restrict or have an adverse effect to people receiving fair and equitable treatment.
Each employee, learners and service user of SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. has a right to dignity, respect and fairness and this is extended across all the services that SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. deliver. We at SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. are committed to improving the working lives of employees, learners and service users and will not tolerate violence, abuse or harassment. We at SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. actively encourage employees and learners to report any incident, however trivial it may seem, so it can be investigated and action taken where found to be necessary.
This policy compliments SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. values and beliefs and indicates our firm commitment to eradicate discrimination whether direct or indirect and to ensure equality of opportunity for all. Our commitment applies across the full spectrum of the community.
To achieve this SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will ensure that our employees, service users and learners support, understand and are responsive to objectives set out within this policy through appropriate challenge & support, training and development and effective management. We will develop our supplier contracts through equalities briefing sheets and procurement criteria
It is SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. policy that we will:
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. has the responsibility for the development of strategies, resources and structure to deliver the Equal Opportunities Policy through the leadership of SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. All decisions and propose changes to services will consider the potential for adverse impact on SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. and employees, service users and learners equality.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will review the views of employees, service users and learners and will take into account of these in shaping and developing future services. This includes the provision of reasonable adjustment and communications.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. has the responsibility for implementing and monitoring of SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. Policies within the scope of their role. Equality and diversity is an organisational function and employees, service users and learners are responsible for ensuring the pro-active delivery and progress of equalities and diversity through communication and networking.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. is responsible in addition to their individual responsibilities for ensuring:
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will involve all employees, service users and learners and support them in the development and delivery of equalities and diversity. This may include consultation, email, verbal communication, internet and networking sessions.
All employees, service users and learners have a personal responsibility for ensuring that they work in a positive and non-discriminatory manner with all service users and colleagues. This responsibility is communicated and reinforced through the Equal Opportunity Policy, Discrimination Procedures and Harassment Procedures as well as through consultation, email, verbal communication, the World Wide Web and networking sessions.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. recognises the value of all employees, service users and learners and will support employees, service users and learners to deliver the values and principles of equality, individuality and diversity. SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will identify the knowledge and skills required to deliver ethnic and culturally sensitive services across all aspects and where necessary provide training to enhance confidence and understanding.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. employees will receive training in SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. policies and procedures and acknowledge their responsibilities under these.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. recognises that continual monitoring of equal opportunities is essential to the continued review of the effectiveness of all policies. To this end SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will collate and monitor all information required by the laws of England and use this information to make decisions.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. takes all allegations of harassment very seriously and has policies in place for the reporting and managing incidents of harassment, bullying intimidation and discrimination.
It is the right of all employees, service users and learners to be treated with consideration and operate in an environment free from harassment, bullying, intimidation and discrimination. This is made through written policies and respective training.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. holds and processes information about learners, corporate clients, and other data subjects for administrative, approval and commercial purposes. When handling such information, SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. and all staff or others who process or use any personal information, must comply with the Data Protection Principles which are set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act). In summary these state that personal data shall:
“Staff”, “learners” and “other data subjects” may include past, present and potential members of those groups including other terms including ‘Learner’, ‘Student’, ‘Delegate’, ‘Trainer’. ‘Assessor’, AoFAQualifications, etc.
“Other data subjects” and “third parties” may include contractors, suppliers, contacts, referees, approving, awarding and monitoring organisations and bodies etc. “Processing” refers to any action involving personal information, including obtaining, viewing, copying, amending, adding, deleting, extracting, storing, disclosing or destroying information.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. shall notify all staff and learners and other relevant data subjects of the types of data held and processed by SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. concerning them, and the reasons for which it is processed. The information which is currently held by the SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. and the purposes for which it is processed will be amended when processing for a new or different purpose.
All people in which information is held.
Staff shall ensure that
When staff supervises learners doing work which involves the processing of personal information, they must ensure that those students are aware of the Data Protection Principles, in particular, the requirement to obtain the data subject’s consent where appropriate.
All learners shall
Staff, Learners, Corporate Clients, Approving or Awarding Organisations and other data subjects in SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. have the right to access any personal data that is being kept about them either on computer or in structured and accessible manual files. Any person may exercise this right by submitting a request in writing to SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will make a charge of £10 for each official Subject Access Request under the Act.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. aims to comply with requests for access to personal information from Staff, Learners, Corporate Clients, Approving or Awarding Organisations and other data subjects, as quickly as possible, but will ensure that it is provided within 40 days unless there is good reason for delay. In such cases, the reason for the delay will be explained in writing by the Information Security Officer to the data subject making the request.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. may ask for information about particular health needs, such as allergies to particular forms of medication, or conditions such as asthma, arthritis. SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will only use such information to protect the health and safety of the individual, for example, in the event of a medical emergency or in carrying out physical activities.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. is the data controller under the Act, and is ultimately responsible for implementation.
Learners shall be entitled to information about their marks for assessments, however this may take longer than other information to provide.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will keep different types of information for differing lengths of time, depending on legal, awarding or approving body and operational requirements.
Compliance with the Act is the responsibility of all learners and members of staff. Any deliberate or reckless breach of this Policy may lead to disciplinary, and where appropriate, legal proceedings.
Any individual, who considers that the policy has not been followed in respect of personal data about him- or herself, should raise the matter with SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. provides a high quality training solution. However we recognise that problems, disagreements and disputes can occur. In order to ensure that these events are resolved promptly SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. have the following appeals policy in place.
All learners will be made aware of the SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. appeals procedure at the start of their course or qualification.
All appeals shall be submitted in writing to SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. within 30 days of the occurrence which prompts the appeal.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will acknowledge receipt of the appeal within 5 working days.
The usual appeal process within the SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will follow:
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will then conduct an investigation in to the circumstances of the appeal. The Appellant shall be notified in writing as to the outcome of that investigation within 15 working days from the date of acknowledgement.
A detailed record of the investigation will be maintained by the centre as this will be monitored through the centre’s own self-assessment process and the awarding bodies own External Quality Assurance Process.
No more than 4 weeks from the date of the notification of the outcome of the investigation into the initial appeal shall pass before matters are escalated to the relevant awarding body, if required.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. is committed to pursuing excellence in everything it does and this includes the management of health and safety.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. are committed to achieving high standards of health, safety and environmental practice.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. expects staff, learners, visitors, contractors and other employers to share this commitment by complying with SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. policies and procedures, and to understand that they too have legal and moral obligations to themselves and to one another.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. intend to ensure the health and safety of all persons who may be affected by our activities by:
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will promote a positive health and safety culture. Wherever possible, information on health and safety legislation and standards applicable to a particular course will be included.
We undertake to continually review and develop our safety management systems, with the overarching aim of conducting our activities in a manner which does not affect the health and safety of any staff, learners, contractors or visitors, or adversely affect the environment.
This policy is aimed at our customers, including learners, who are delivering/registered on SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. qualifications or units within or outside the UK and who are involved in suspected or actual malpractice/maladministration.It is also for use by our staff to ensure they deal with all malpractice and maladministration investigations in a consistent manner.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will review the policy annually as part of our annual self-evaluation arrangements and revise it as and when necessary in response to customer and learner feedback, changes in our practices, actions from the regulatory authorities or external agencies, changes in legislation, or trends identified from previous allegations.
Malpractice is essentially any activity or practice which deliberately contravenes regulations and compromises the integrity of the internal or external assessment process and/or the validity of certificates. It covers any deliberate actions, neglect, default or other practice that compromises, or could compromise:
Malpractice may include a range of issues from the failure to maintain appropriate records or systems to the deliberate falsification of records in order to claim certificates.
For the purpose of this policy this term also covers misconduct and forms of unnecessary discrimination or bias towards certain or groups of learners.
Maladministration is essentially any activity or practice which results in non-compliance with administrative regulations and requirements and includes the application of persistent mistakes or poor administration or payments within a centre (e.g. inappropriate learner records).
The categories listed below are examples of centre and learner malpractice and maladministration. Please note that these examples are not exhaustive:
Anybody who identifies or is made aware of suspected or actual cases of malpractice or maladministration at any time must immediately notify the awarding organisation. In doing so they should put the details in writing/email and enclose appropriate supporting evidence.
All allegations must include (where possible):
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. must note that in all instances the relevant awarding organisation must be immediately notified if they suspect malpractice or maladministration has occurred as we have a responsibility to the awarding organisation and relevant regulatory authorities to ensure that all investigations are carried out rigorously and effectively.
In all cases of suspected malpractice and maladministration reported to, SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will protect the identity of the ‘informant’ in accordance with our duty of confidentiality and/or any other legal duty.
This document sets out SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. complaints policy and is aimed at customers, learners and all interested parties who encounter a direct or indirect service from SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. It covers complaints which learners, members of the public or customers may wish to make in relation to the qualifications and associated services offered by SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD.
If you are unhappy about the way an assessment was managed and you suspect malpractice may have occurred you should send your concern to us in accordance with the arrangements in our Malpractice and Maladministration Policy.
We will review the policy and its associated procedures annually as part of our self-evaluation arrangements and revise it as and when necessary in response to customer, learner or regulatory feedback.
You should first try to sort out any problem at the earliest opportunity by speaking to the person who dealt with you. If they cannot help or you wish to speak to someone else, you can ask to speak to the Manager.
If this is not possible, or if you are not satisfied with the help provided by the Manager, please send a written complaint. You should complain in writing, normally within one month of the event you are complaining about and address it to us at the contact details outlined at the end of policy.
When you contact us, please give us your full name, contact details including a daytime telephone number along with:
We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 working days, letting you know who is investigating your complaint.
We aim to investigate the complaint within 30 days. If your complaint is more complex, or involves people who are not available at the time, we may extend this to 60 days. We may contact you within this period to seek further information or clarification (in some instances we may recommend a meeting). At the end of the investigation we shall write/email to inform you of our decision.
If any part of your complaint is upheld we will of course apologise and give due consideration to how we can improve our service and arrangements - for example, by reviewing our procedures to assess the impact on our arrangements and assessment process (if relevant) or arranging for staff training. In extreme circumstances, disciplinary procedures may be exercised where the performance or behaviour of our staff is deemed inappropriate.
If you disagree with the decision the first point of call is the Manager. If you are still unhappy with the decision taken by SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. in reviewing the complaint you can then take the matter through our Appeal arrangements which are outlined in our Appeals Policy.
You may also complain directly to the relevant awarding organisation;
If you’ve any queries about the contents of the policy, please contact us.
This policy is primarily aimed at learners who are delivering/registered on or have taken an SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. qualification or unit. It is also for use by our staff to ensure they deal with all reasonable adjustment and special consideration requests in a consistent manner and in accordance with the relevant awarding organisation requirements.
Each awarding organisation will have specific guidelines to follow when applying for reasonable adjustments for individual learners and what can be automatically approved by centres.
To ensure the following:
We will review the policy annually as part of our self-evaluation arrangements and revise it as and when necessary in response to customer and learner feedback, changes in our practices, actions from the regulatory authorities or external agencies or changes in legislation.
This document outlines conflict of interest policy of SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. covering:
This and supporting documents may be requested by AoFA Qualifications (AoFAQ) to satisfy them of our ability to comply with their requirements in relation to conflicts of interest and to prevent such conflicts becoming ‘Adverse Effects’ (as defined by AoFAQ).
We’ll review this document annually as part of our self-evaluation arrangements. However, a review will be commissioned earlier should an issue arise in relation to an actual or potential conflict of interest and/or in response to customer, learner or regulatory feedback.
For the purposes of this policy we have adopted the definition used by AoFAQ in relation to conflict of interest. In essence a conflict of interest exists in relation to SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. where:
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will take all reasonable steps to avoid any part of the assessment of a Learner (including by way of moderation) being undertaken by any person who has a personal interest in the result of the assessment. Trainers, Moderators and Markers should be considered if their actions could affect the validity of the qualification or assessment outcome.
If a person who does have a conflict of interest with the assessment of a learner, SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. will take reasonable steps to ensure the relevant part of the assessment is subject to scrutiny by another person.
Where the Trainer, Assessor, Marker or Moderator:
In implementing our approach to identifying and managing actual/potential conflicts of interest staff are required to abide by the following principles:
If the breach is also classified as an Adverse Effect then the Head of Centre shall promptly inform AoFAQ stating the reasonable steps that we have taken or intend to take to prevent, correct or mitigate the Adverse Effect. Including a details of any reviews we are/will carry out. AoFAQ will also offer advice where applicable.
For information, the Ofqual definition of an Adverse Effect is; An act, omission, event, incident, or circumstance has an Adverse Effect if it –
I have read and understood the contents of the SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. Conflicts of Interest policy and agree to abide by this policy.
These Website Standard Terms and Conditions written on this webpage shall manage your use of this website. These Terms will be applied fully and affect to your use of this Website. By using this Website, you agreed to accept all terms and conditions written in here. You must not use this Website if you disagree with any of these Website Standard Terms and Conditions. Minors or people below 18 years old are not allowed to use this Website.
Other than the content you own, under these Terms, SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. and/or its licensors own all the intellectual property rights and materials contained in this Website. You are granted limited license only for purposes of viewing the material contained on this Website.
You are specifically restricted from all of the following • publishing any Website material in any other media; • selling, sublicensing and/or otherwise commercializing any Website material; • publicly performing and/or showing any Website material; • using this Website in any way that is or may be damaging to this Website; • using this Website in any way that impacts user access to this Website; • using this Website contrary to applicable laws and regulations, or in any way may cause harm to the Website, or to any person or business entity; • engaging in any data mining, data harvesting, data extracting or any other similar activity in relation to this Website; • using this Website to engage in any advertising or marketing. Certain areas of this Website are restricted from being access by you and SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. may further restrict access by you to any areas of this Website, at any time, in absolute discretion. Any user ID and password you may have for this Website are confidential and you must maintain confidentiality as well.
In these Website Standard Terms and Conditions, “Your Content” shall mean any audio, video text, images or other material you choose to display on this Website. By displaying Your Content, you grant SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. a non-exclusive, worldwide irrevocable, sub licensable license to use, reproduce, adapt, publish, translate and distribute it in any and all media. Your Content must be your own and must not be invading any third-party’s rights. SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. reserves the right to remove any of Your Content from this Website at any time without notice.
This Website is provided “as is,” with all faults, and SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. express no representations or warranties, of any kind related to this Website or the materials contained on this Website. Also, nothing contained on this Website shall be interpreted as advising you.
In no event shall SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD., nor any of its officers, directors and employees, shall be held liable for anything arising out of or in any way connected with your use of this Website whether such liability is under contract. SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD., including its officers, directors and employees shall not be held liable for any indirect, consequential or special liability arising out of or in any way related to your use of this Website.
You hereby indemnify to the fullest extent SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. from and against any and/or all liabilities, costs, demands, causes of action, damages and expenses arising in any way related to your breach of any of the provisions of these Terms.
If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid under any applicable law, such provisions shall be deleted without affecting the remaining provisions herein.
SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. is permitted to revise these Terms at any time as it sees fit, and by using this Website you are expected to review these Terms on a regular basis.
The SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. is allowed to assign, transfer, and subcontract its rights and/or obligations under these Terms without any notification. However, you are not allowed to assign, transfer, or subcontract any of your rights and/or obligations under these Terms.
These Terms constitute the entire agreement between SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. and you in relation to your use of this Website, and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.
These Terms will be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of England, and you submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Leeds for the resolution of any disputes.
A processing fee may be charged for cancellations made 14 working days or more before the course / activity date.
There will be no refunds for cancellations made within 14 working days of the course / activity date, although substitutions may be permitted. Refunds will not be provided for registrants who do not attend the course / activity. Notice of cancellation must be made via e-mail to info@efrtraining.es
A cancellation acknowledgement will be sent within 3 working days and fees refunded within 10 working days, subject to this Refund Policy.
Note that circumstances beyond the control of the course organizers may necessitate substitutions, alterations or cancellations of the trainers and/or course. Therefore, SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. reserves the right to alter or modify the advertised trainers and/or course including dates, times and venues if necessary. Any substitutions or alterations will be updated on the EFR Training web site as soon as possible.
Where, SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. offers non-tangible irrevocable services we do not issue refunds once the service is accomplished.
As a customer you are responsible for understanding this refund policy upon purchasing any product or services from us. However, we realize that exceptional circumstance can take place with regard to the character of the services we provide.
Please note that SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. aim to be as flexible as possible and honour refund requests based on the following;
Please note that SMITHS CONSULTANTS LTD. is ready to provide you with timely and efficient professional assistance. We will attempt to find the best convenient solution for your query. Give us 12-24 hours for us to get back to you on the problem.
Requests for a refund are accepted within the period of 14 days after the order is placed. You should accompany this request with detailed and grounded reasons why you are applying for a refund. Please make sure your request does not contradict our Terms and Conditions and Refund Policy. You may request assistance by sending an email to info@efrtraining.es
Payment is strictly 14 days prior to course date. Registration is not complete until full payment has been received. Payments not received before the course commencement will result in no admittance of the person(s) to the course or course cancellation. Registration typically closes one week (7 days) prior to course date.
Payment may be made via Bank Transfer. Details provided with invoice.
Substitutions for registered attendees may be made at any time by contacting us at info@efrtraining.es