Code of Practice

Associates in Childbirth Education (ACE) is an independent provider of training courses and workshops for health professionals working in the maternity services and the field of childbirth education.

Our commitment to the provision of professionally presented, high quality training is maintained through the following practices, which underpin our programs and are designed to ensure our success as an organisation.

1.	Educational Standards
	1.1	The best qualified staff and faculty shall be contracted at all times to deliver training.
	1.2	The success of our students is of paramount importance, and training courses will be provided with their needs in mind:
		1.2.1	geographical accessibility
		1.2.2	equality of access and opportunity for all
		1.2.3	fairness and accountability
		1.2.4	non-discriminatory policies
	1.3	Best management practices will be employed to ensure appropriate confidentiality, efficient administration and the smooth running of all aspects of the administration for courses.
	1.4	All student records shall be accurately maintained and stored, and be available to any student for examination if requested. Records shall be kept of all student contacts as part of their files.
	1.5	All workshops and face-to-face teaching shall take place in suitably equipped facilities that provide effective learning environments.
	1.6	Appropriate student support services shall be provided to assist students to complete their training, including counselling and support services, student library and educational resources and networking opportunities. Arrangements will be made to customise a course if necessary to enable individual students to complete the specified requirements.
2.	Marketing
	2.1	All promotional material shall accurately state the nature of the course, the requirements for its completion and the qualifications gained, in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner that complies with Fair Trading legislation.
	2.2	Marketing of courses shall be undertaken as widely as possible to ensure all who may benefit have the opportunity to access training if they wish.
3.	Student Information
	3.1	Information brochures shall contain details of the following policies and requirements so that students have a broad knowledge of the course before enrolling:
		3.1.1	Pre-requisites for enrolment
		3.1.2	Application procedures
		3.1.3	Course aims, objectives and learner outcomes
		3.1.4	Exact qualification to be gained
		3.1.5	Costs
		3.1.6	Refund policies
		3.1.7	Contact names and numbers for the course administrators.
	3.2	On acceptance into a course, students shall be given a course handbook and other materials related to the course. This handbook shall contain further student information:
		3.2.1	Details of support services
		3.2.2	Grievance procedures
		3.2.3	Assessment procedures
4.	Recruitment
	4.1	All advertising and recruitment for students shall be conducted in a professional and ethical manner, consistent with our corporate image.
	4.2	A policy of non-discrimination operates at all levels within ACE.
	4.3	All applicants will be fairly considered for acceptance into a course, bearing in mind the stated pre-requisites for proficiencies and qualification. Where any doubt exists about the ability of an applicant to meet the pre-requisites the application shall be referred to the Curriculum Advisory Committee for the course for consideration and final decision.
5.	Refunds
	5.1	The refund policy will be stated on the course information brochures and in the student handbook.
	5.2	Students shall "pay-as-they-study", thus spreading their fees over the course. This policy ensures that students are not financially disadvantaged by having to pay fees in a lump sum in advance, and also reduces any financial risk should they withdraw from a course.
	5.3	ACE shall maintain sufficient funds at all times to cover refunds due to students, especially those who choose to pay full fees in advance to attract a discount.
	5.4	All refunds shall be made within 30 days of a written request being made and granted.
6.	Grievances
	6.1	All students have the right to appeal any assessments made of their work.
	6.2	All decisions by assessors shall be made in writing, stating the reasons for the assessment.
	6.3	The student may seek a second opinion from a different assessor without prejudice to their progression through the course.
	6.4	The course co-ordinator will assist a student to obtain a second opinion and support this process.
	6.5	All records and reports shall be made in writing and kept on file, with guaranteed access by the student on request.
7.	International students
	7.1	ACE will comply with any regulations that apply to providers of distance educational programs for students resident overseas.
8.	Guarantee
	8.1	ACE agrees to abide by these principles stated in the Code of Practice, and to be accountable to both the students and any regulatory bodies concerned with the provision of educational training programs in Australia.