Our commitment to you is to have:

• A variety of accessible venues from which to study.
• A safe, comfortable and welcoming environment in which to learn.
• Timely and accurate programme information.
• Friendly and helpful staff who will treat you with respect.
• Experienced and qualified Training Advisors offering a variety of teaching techniques to meet different learning styles.
• High Quality Resources and materials to help with your learning.
• Regular feedback to improve your skills and develop your understanding.
• Specialist information, advice and guidance to help you progress into employment, volunteering or further learning.
• A simple way to report your comments, compliments or complaints.
• Confidentiality in relation to personal information shared with us in line with Data Protection and Safeguarding.

Your commitment to LSBC Services is to:

• Complete all requested paperwork and agree your Individual Learning Plan (ILP) with your Training Advisor.
• Arrive on time so that you do not disrupt other learners.
• Attend regularly and let your Training Advisor know when you are going to be absent.
• Always bring everything required along to your learning session, (you may need to bring completed work, equipment or materials needed for the session to take place).
• Treat all staff and other learners with consideration and respect – verbal/physical abuse will not be tolerated.
• Contribute to a safer learning environment by responding to health and safety advice and adhering to safeguarding and e-safety procedures.
• Use all computing and internet access safely and appropriately.
• Tell your Training Advisor if you require any additional support.
• Give us feedback to help us improve what we offer.
• Give us feedback on completing of your programme to let us know what you have progressed on to, such as a job, volunteering or another course.
• Ensure that all work submitted is your own, Plagiarism is taken very seriously within Profound Services and could result in termination of your qualification.

Supporting your Learning

 Information, Advice and Guidance

Your Training Advisor will provide information and advice about your learning options at appropriate times during your programme. You are also free to request information at any point throughout your learning journey. Towards the end of your programme, your Training Advisor will be able to offer information about other progression opportunities.

Support for Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities

If you have a learning difficulty and/or disability that may affect your learning, please discuss this with your Training Advisor upon enrolment and they will advise what support is available. This may include ‘individual learner support’ from another staff member following an assessment of your needs.

Support with English and Maths

If you have any concerns regarding your English or Maths skills, please discuss this with your Training Advisor during your initial assessment. It is better to highlight this at the start of your programme rather than wait until part of the way through. Your Training Advisor will explain what help may be available to improve your skills.

Additional Support

Funding may also be available in certain circumstances to remove other barriers to learning including financial hardship or childcare where support is not being provided by other organizations. Please ask about availability when you enroll or contact LSBC on support@lsbc.edu.gh

Resources

LSBC has a modest range of resources to support your learning experience e.g. hearing loops, digital cameras and voice recorders. Your Training Advisor will be able to provide further details upon request.

Safer Learning

You have the right to feel safe where you learn. Other people should not hurt or abuse you.

It is everyone’s responsibility:

• To respect other people’s rights to safety
• Not to hurt or abuse others
• Not to threaten to hurt or abuse others

Types of abuse include: physical abuse; sexual abuse; psychological or emotional abuse; financial or material abuse; neglect; discrimination and cyber bullying.

If you think you have been hurt or abused by another learner, staff member of visitor, you should report this immediately to your Training Advisor or other trusted staff member. Your training provider/employer will have safeguarding procedures in place in case of incidents of this nature and will be able to support you.

If you do not feel able to discuss the incident with your Training Advisor or training provider/Employer, please contact LSBC and ask to speak with one of the Safeguarding Champions on safeguarding@lsbc.edu.gh

Health and Safety

LSBC takes the safety and welfare of all learners and staff extremely seriously to ensure safe and secure learning environments. In order to help us maintain this, you should:

• Be clear about emergency evacuation instructions in the event of fire.
• Listen carefully to all Health and Safety advice including the use of materials and equipment.
• Keep bags and belongings stowed away under tables.
• Report any potential hazards to your Training Advisor/Employer immediately.

First Aid

If you or another learner, require any first aid assistance, please seek help from your Training Advisor/Employer and ensure that all accidents, no matter how small, are recorded in the accident book.

Radicalization

LSBC understands the need to safeguard all learners from harm including the potential risks from radicalization and we embrace the Prevent Agenda.

This doesn’t mean we want to prevent you from having political and religious views but it is about keeping you safe and within the law. Further information about the Government’s Prevent Strategy can be found.

Ghana Values

We have a duty to ‘actively promote’ the fundamental Ghanaian values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. These values were first set out by the government in the Prevent Strategy in 2011.

LSBC hopes to give you an understanding of:

• How citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process.
• How the freedom to hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law.
• Peoples differing faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) and how they should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behavior.
• The importance of identifying and combating discrimination.

E-Safety

Profound Services seeks to maximize the educational benefit that can be obtained by the use of ICT, whilst at the same time minimizing any associated risks. You are encouraged to access various technologies during learning sessions and/or private study, when completing units and carrying out independent research but in doing so we want to ensure you remain safe from harm.

Some instances where you may not feel safe include:

• Exposure to inappropriate material
• Cyber-bullying via websites, social media, mobile phones or other technologies
• Identity theft or invasion of privacy
• Downloading copyrighted materials
• Exposure to inappropriate advertising online, gambling and financial scams
• Safeguarding issues such as grooming (children or vulnerable adults) or radicalization
• Other illegal activities

We must also remind you not to give out personal information such as your telephone number, address and email address to strangers, or publish this information on social networking sites. It is important that any incidents are dealt with as soon as possible so, if you have any concerns, please talk to your Training Advisor/Employer in the first instance. Full details of our E-Safety policy can be provided upon request.

E-Learning Code of Conduct

Learners are expected to:

• Behave in a safe and responsible manner.
• Treat equipment with respect.
• Use USB/flash memory key(s) only for learning purposes.
• Be polite and not use e-mail, social media or blogs etc. to make negative comments, bully or insult others – social media should be fun.
• Use the resources only for educational purposes.

Learners are expected NOT to:

• Waste resources including internet and printers.
• Use someone else’s login details or share your own.
• Have any inappropriate files (e.g. copyright or indecent material).
• Attempt to circumvent or ‘hack’ systems.
• Use inappropriate or unacceptable language in their work.
• Reveal their personal details or passwords.
• Visit websites that are offensive in any way.
• Use chat rooms or newsgroups, other than for educational purposes.
• Do anything to damage the reputation of Profound Services or your training provider/employer
• Download anything inappropriate or install any unauthorized programs.

Breaching the above may lead to:

• Withdrawal from LSBC or your training provider’s ICT facilities.
• Temporary or permanent prevention of access to the relevant pages on the internet.
• Limited or disabled rights to systems where relevant.
• Appropriate disciplinary action.

Users should not that serious breaches of these provisions might lead to criminal or civil prosecution.

Appeal and Complaints

if you are dissatisfied with any part of your progamme, you have the right of appeal. There are four stages in the appeals procedure depending on the nature of the complaint:

State 1: If you are dissatisfied you have the        State 2: If stage 1 is not resolved, your

right to appeal to your Training Advisor.              Appeal will be passed on to an Internal

The appeal must be in writing and clearly           Quality Assurer who will investigate this.

indicate the points of the disagreement.

Stage 3: If the Internal Qualify Assurer is             Stage 4: If the appeal is in relation to an

unable to resolve this, it will be passed to a        assessment decision, it will be passed on

Director who will investigate this further.            the relevant Awarding Body for your

qualification. Following their

Malpractice and Maladministration Policy

Profound Services also has a malpractice and maladministration policy which is available upon request.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s work for personal advantage without proper acknowledgement of the original work. LSBC treats plagiarism and cheating very seriously, in the event of this occurring a full investigation will be carried out in line with the Awarding Organisations guidance.

Equality and Diversity

 LSBC is committed to providing equal opportunities for all and we seek to provide high quality learning opportunities that are inclusive and free from discrimination.

You should feel comfortable with all aspects of your programme including the venue/placement, Training Advisor(s), subject matter and other learners. You should not, at any time, experience any unfair or discriminative treatment in relation to the following:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender re-assignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

If you experience anything which you consider inappropriate or offensive, inform your Training Advisor or contact LSBC and ask to speak with the Equality and Diversity.

Bullying and Harassment

We hope that you will never encounter any bullying or harassment during your time with us. Bullying or harassment is often difficult to define but generally it covers unwelcome or unwanted attention. These things can happen in person or through social media and may include:

• Verbal abuse or taunting
• Racist or sexist comments or jokes
• Deliberately ignoring someone
• Unwanted physical contact
• Display of offensive materials, books or pictures
• Intrusive questioning about personal circumstances
• Unnecessary references to sex
• Any kind of unwanted attention

Always speak to your Training Advisor is you are unhappy about the way someone has behaved towards you or anyone else. If the Training Advisor is the cause for concern, then contact HR department immediately on XXXXXXX or email us at safeguarding@lsbc.edu.gh Never condone bullying by allowing it to go unreported, ignoring it or joining in.

Exclusion

LSBC reserves the right to exclude any learner causing offence, abuse or harm from one of their courses where it is deemed necessary.

Your Information

At the start of your programme, you will receive an induction and be asked to complete some programme paperwork. There will be numerous forms to fill in which your Training Advisor will provide. Paperwork may vary slightly depending on the type of programme on which you have enrolled.

Two essential documents are mentioned below:

Enrolment Form

Once completed, this form provides Profound Services with important information about you and your programme. Your enrolment details form part of your learning agreement and are needed so that we can secure funding from the Government for your programme. All information requested is necessary, especially your date of birth and National Identity Number, so we can ensure your eligibility for funding. Your Training Advisor will give you a copy of your enrolment form for you to keep.

Why is your National Identity Number?

Many learners ask why we need their National Identity Number. Your National Insurance number is used to assess the economic impact of training programmes on learners but not exclusively those who are unemployed. Being able to demonstrate the impact of training for all learners helps us secure funding from Government, which allows LSBC to provide further learning opportunities. Your data is also used to inform participation rates, trends and local labour market requirements.

Why is information about your learning difficulty, disability or health problem required? This information helps with planning, to study trends and to monitor the outcomes of initiatives and interventions for learners with different types of disability, learning difficulty and health problems.

Individual Learning Plan (ILP)

This is a record of your personal learning journey. Your ILP will help you identify your starting point, what you would like to learn from your programme and any personal goals you may have.

You and your Training Advisor will use your ILP to record how you are progressing towards your learning aims. At the end of your programme, you will be asked to answer a few questions regarding your learning experience on an Evaluation Form. This information is very valuable to us because it helps us to develop our curriculum offer and improve areas of our provision. It also informs wider national surveys about the impact of learning. Please be honest and tell us what you really think!