Complaints and appeals

One way in

Every complaint and every challenge goes to the same place, whatever it concerns: a service you received, an assessment result, a membership or entry decision, the conduct of a member, your personal data, or something wrong in a record about you.

You should not have to work out which of our processes your problem belongs to before you are allowed to raise it. That is our job, and we do it when it arrives. If you send it somewhere else in IPP, we will not refuse it for coming to the wrong place; it will be passed to the right route and acknowledged from there.

Every matter is given a case number when it is received, so you can ask where it has got to and we can show what we did and when.

What you can raise, and who can raise it

An anonymous conduct concern will be considered. You should know that anonymity may limit what can be investigated and what can be put to the member.

A matter raised late may still be accepted, and we will tell you the reasons either way. A matter that is out of scope, premature, already decided, or repeated without new evidence may be closed, with the reasons given in writing. Being unwelcome is not a reason to close a matter.

How long it takes

If a decision is going to take longer than that, we will tell you before the period ends, say why, and give you a new date. We will not let it run silent.

An assessment appeal must be lodged within 20 working days of receiving your result, and the appeal fee is £25, refunded if your appeal is upheld. Those come from the Assessment Standards, which govern assessment appeals.

Who decides

• A person who made a decision does not review it, and does not sit on the panel that reviews it.
• Nobody decides a matter concerning themselves, someone they report to or who reports to them, or anyone they have a personal, financial or recent working relationship with.
• A challenge to a decision is decided by two named reviewers, neither of whom made it. Conduct matters and Fellowship matters go to the Governance Board.
• The names of the people who decided are recorded on your case, and given to you if you ask.

What a decision will tell you

Every decision states the matter you raised, the evidence considered, the findings, the reasons, the outcome, the date it takes effect, and what you can do next. You get reasons whether or not your matter is upheld.

What we can do about it includes an explanation, an apology, correcting a record, a fresh review by someone not previously involved, amending a result where the assessment standard allows it, refunding a fee where the applicable standard allows it, or referring the matter into the conduct process.

The final stage, and what lies outside IPP

• Conduct matters: the Governance Board's decision is final within IPP.
• Every other route: the decision of the two reviewers is final within IPP.
• Privacy matters: you may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at any time. Nothing here restricts that, and you do not have to exhaust our process first.

There is no external appeal body for IPP qualifications or membership decisions. IPP qualifications are the Institute's own, assessed under our published Assessment Standards, and are not currently regulated by Ofqual or any other statutory regulator. We say that plainly rather than leave you to work it out.

Fair treatment

• You are not disadvantaged for raising something honestly, whether or not it is upheld.
• Your matter is shared only with the people who need it to decide or act on it.
• If your matter concerns a member's conduct, that member is told the substance of what is alleged and given a fair opportunity to respond before any finding is made.