Maladministration & Malpractice Policy
Warwickshire First Aid Training is a forward-thinking training organisation that offers mandatory training to a variety of organisations. We provide a wide range of first aid, health and safety, food safety, education, and training programmes, as well as qualification assessment via Qualifications Network UK.
Warwickshire First Aid Training is committed to providing high-quality training and qualifications while ensuring equal opportunity in all aspects of our operations.
This policy addresses maladministration and malpractice and applies to all of our employees and students.
It also outlines our formal procedures for dealing with such incidents.
Warwickshire First Aid Training is committed to ensuring that all work by our employees, training centres, and contractors meets the highest quality standards.
Warwickshire First Aid Training Management and staff aim to deliver excellent service to all learners, enabling them to reach their full potential. Quality is central to our mission.
We ensure that all learners receive high-quality training.
Our examinations are valid and exemplary within the training sector, and our policies are rigorous and comprehensive.
We have established policies, procedures, protocols, work systems, and instructions to maintain the highest standards in our work.
We will investigate any allegations of maladministration in the business or examination and assessment areas immediately, with the necessary respect and urgency.
Definition of Maladministration
Maladministration is essentially any activity or practice that results in non-compliance with administrative regulations and requirements, and includes persistent mistakes or poor administration within a centre (e.g., inappropriate learner records).
Definition of Malpractice
Malpractice is essentially any activity or practice that deliberately contravenes regulations and compromises the integrity of the development, delivery, internal or external assessment process, and/or the award of any of the qualifications we offer.
Malpractice could involve centre staff, learners, external verifiers, and awarding organisation staff or contractors.
This Policy
For this policy, the terms maladministration and malpractice also cover misconduct and forms of unnecessary discrimination or bias towards learner(s).
Warwickshire First Aid Training has policies and procedures in place to minimise the possibility of malpractice or maladministration occurring within the centre.
In particular, we must deliver qualifications in accordance with a specified process. Quality assurance oversees the work of all staff and contractors, and we carry out both paper-based and IT administration in accordance with prescribed procedures.
The categories listed below are examples of centre and learner malpractice.
Please note that we offer these examples as guidance on our definition of malpractice, but they are not exhaustive.
- Contravention of our centre and any qualification approval conditions
- Denial of access to resources (premises, records, information, learners, and staff) when requested by any authorised awarding body representative and/or the regulators.
- Failure to carry out delivery, internal assessment, internal moderation or internal verification in accordance with the awarding body requirements
- Deliberate failure to adhere to our learner registration and certification procedures
- Deliberate or persistent failure to adhere to our centre recognition
- Deliberate failure to maintain appropriate auditable records, e.g., certification claims, starter, leaver and evaluation records
- Persistent instances of maladministration within the centre, by staff, trainers, assessors, internal verifiers or contractors
- Fraudulent claim for certificates
- The unauthorised use of inappropriate materials/equipment in assessment settings (e.g., mobile phones)
- Staff intentionally withholds information from Warwickshire First Aid Training.
- Management is critical to maintaining the rigour of quality assurance and standards at both the centre and the qualifications we offer.
- Deliberate misuse of logo and trademarks or misrepresentation of a training centre’s relationship with Warwickshire First Aid Training
- Forgery of evidence.
- Collusion or permitting collusion in exams.
- Trainers help learners continue working towards qualification even after they have made certification claims.
- Contravention by our training centres, trainers, assessors, internal verifiers and learners of the assessment arrangements we specify for our qualifications.
- Insecure storage of assessment materials and exam papers issued by any awarding body.
- Plagiarism of any nature by learners.
- An unauthorised amendment, copying, or distribution of exam papers issued by any awarding body.
- Inappropriate assistance to learners by centre staff (e.g., unfairly helping them to pass a unit or qualification).
- Submission of false information to gain a qualification or unit.
- Deliberate failure to adhere to the requirements of our policies.
- Conduct during assessment
Allegations of Maladministration and Malpractice
Warwickshire First Aid Training will treat all allegations of maladministration and malpractice as a serious incident. It will launch a full investigation and, where appropriate, suspend staff, trainers, assessors, internal verifiers, or students, as detailed in our Disciplinary and Grievance Policy.
We will notify all awarding bodies with whom we are registered of the allegations and the outcome of our investigation.
We will comply with any external investigations required by examining organisations or regulatory authorities, including police investigations as appropriate.
In cases of serious maladministration or malpractice, such as fraud, theft, dishonesty, corruption, or abuse, we will report the issue to the police for a comprehensive criminal investigation.
All staff and students will be able to appeal any sanctions imposed using either the assessment appeals procedure or the employee grievance procedure.
Confidentiality and whistleblowing
Whistleblowing is a term used to refer to an individual who discloses information relating to actual malpractice or maladministration and/or the covering up of such practices.
The individual’s employer often commits malpractice or maladministration, although this is not necessarily the case.
Whistleblowers have protection under the Public Interest Disclosure Act in certain circumstances.
Ofqual published guidance on this, which you can find at https://www.gov.uk/whistleblowing.
In this guidance, Ofqual states that centre staff who wish to make a whistleblowing disclosure to someone outside their organisation should generally do so to the relevant awarding organisation.
If the awarding organisation is involved in the issue, you should disclose it to Ofqual.
Local Police Station
Rugby Police Station
Newbold Road,
Rugby.
Warwickshire.
CV21 2DH
TEL: 101
Ofqual Contact Details
Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation
2nd Floor, 1 Friargate,
Station Square.
Coventry.
CV1 2GN
Switchboard: 0300 303 3344
(Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm.)
Textphone: 0300 303 3345 Fax: 0300 303 3348
Email: info@ofqual.gov.uk
We Will Endeavour to:
Warwickshire First Aid Training will always endeavour to keep a whistleblower’s identity confidential when asked to do so.
However, we cannot guarantee this, and we may need to disclose your identity to the police or other law enforcement agencies, the courts, or another person to whom we are legally required to disclose it.
A whistleblower should understand that others may identify them because of the nature or circumstances of the disclosure.
While we will consider investigating issues reported to us anonymously, we will always try to confirm an allegation through a separate investigation before addressing the matter with those to whom the allegation relates.
It is not always possible to investigate or verify anonymous disclosures.
Warwickshire First Aid Training will ensure that all employees, including management, administrators, trainers, assessors, internal verifiers, and learners, comply with the requirements of our training centre and awarding bodies.
All employees must read and sign this policy to confirm they have understood it.
HR ensures that all staff members sign and store the signed documents in their personnel files.
Approved by Martyn Coton on 19th December 2025.
Review is due on 18th December 2027.
