- Assessment Policy
- Complaints and Appeals Policy - International Students
- Course Progress Policy - International Students
- Critical Incidence Policy
- Deferment & Suspension or Cancellation Policy
- Education Agents Policy
- Entry Requirements and Selection Policy - International Students
- Fees & Charges and Refund Policy - International Students
- Health & Wellbeing and Safety Policy
- Industry Engagement Policy
- Informing and Protecting Learners Policy
- Marketing Policy - International Students
- Notice of Unsatisfactory Course Progress - Risk Intervention
- Overseas Student Transfer Policy
- Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Policy
- Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy
- Student Support Services Policy - International Students
- Training and Assessment Strategies Policy
- Validation Policy
- Volume of Learning Policy
INTRODUCTION
In accordance with Standard6: Student Support of the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018, Insight Institute of Further Studies (IIFS) has a documented policy and procedure for Critical Incidents.
Critical Incident
A traumatic event, or the threat of such (within or outside Australia), which causes extreme stress, fear or injury. Non-life threatening events could still qualify as critical incidents. Critical incidents are not limited to, but could include:
• Missing students
• Severe verbal or psychological aggression
• Death, serious injury or any threat of these
• Natural disaster
• Issues such as domestic violence, sexual assault, drug or alcohol abuse or
• Non-Life threatening events
POLICY
• IIFS will activate the required procedures as soon it becomes aware of a critical incident affecting a staff member, a student or a group of students, contractors or members of the public on IIFS premises.
• IIFS will take immediate steps to manage the critical incident, the follow-up required after the incident, and record the details of the incident and action taken by IIFS during or following the incident.
• IIFS will ensure that all appropriate staff that may be involved in a critical incident or management of the incident post the actual incident will have contact information available to them for the police, the Department of Home Affairs and the family of the student, if appropriate or any other organization that may be able to assist in such a situation for example Community/Multicultural organisations or phone – counselling services.
IIFS’s Critical Incident Team
• As soon as a critical incident has been brought to the notice of IIFS’s CEO, it will be the responsibility of the CEO to establish IIFS’s Critical Incident Team. The composition of the team will be left to the discretion of the CEO.
• Any action taken in regard to a critical incident will be recorded to include outcomes or evidence if the incident is referred to another person or agency but will take into account IIFS’s Privacy policy.
• Whatever action is taken the major focus will be the care for both the physical and emotionalwellbeing of staff, students and their families and if possible to minimise any short and long term disruption to personal and professional functioning of IIFS as an educational provider.Responsibilities of IIFS’s Critical Incident Team:
- To oversee the coordination of IIFS’s response to the critical incident
- To liaise with the media, police, and their families as appropriate
- To monitor staff, students, visitors or contractors throughout the critical incident response and afterwards
- To determine the level of counselling or other support required from external authorities
- To set up and staff a recovery room, where appropriate
- To liaise with relevant external support agencies
- To record the incident and actions taken including post incident
EMERGENCY RESOURCES
The nature of critical incidents is such that resources cannot always be provided in anticipation of events. For this reason, IIFS’s Critical Incident Team must use their discretion to provide adequate resources, for both physical situations as well as IIFS staff members, or to meet the needs of specific situations.
IIFS’s Critical Incident Team will access any of the following emergency resources, as required:
- Police (Ph: 000)
- Fire Brigade (Ph: 000)
- Ambulance (Ph: 000)
- Phone-counselling services (Care Ring, 24 hours a day, ph: 136 169 OR Lifeline, ph: 131 114)
- Translating and Interpreting Service (ph: 131 450)
FOLLOW-UP AFTER A CRITICAL INCIDENT
- The outcomes of a critical incident response will be evaluated by the Critical Incident Team establish for a specific critical incident in the month following the critical incident
- IIFS’s Critical Incident Team will continue to monitor staff, student, visitor or contractor needs after the critical incident
- IIFS’s Critical Incident Team will complete any reporting requirements as soon as
DOCUMENTATION OF A CRITICAL INCIDENT
- Any action taken in regard to a critical incident will be recorded to include outcomes or evidence if the critical incident is referred to another person or agency.
- This documentation will also assist with the evaluation phase of the critical
- This should be completed on IIFS’s Critical Incident Report
- This record must be maintained for atleast 2 years after the student ceases to be an accepted student under the ESOS Act.