Ms Sharna Ansah1
1Office Of The Commonwealth Ombudsman, Melbourne, Australia
Turning complaints into opportunities
At the height of the nationwide lock-downs in 2020, the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman saw a spike in complaints from international students. Both students and providers needed to quickly adapt to new challenges in a changing environment and address the inevitable problems and complaints that arose. By reflecting on student and provider experiences chronicled in complaints, we can identify systemic issues and address any gaps in the complaints process.
CRICOS registered providers must have a documented internal complaint handling process and provide international students with information about that process. As we move towards recovery, education providers have an opportunity to review their complaint handling systems, learning from recent experiences. An effective internal complaints process can help to resolve complaints quickly and respectfully without the involvement of an external agency, while improving student confidence in the provider.
In this dynamic “Better Practice Complaint Handling” workshop, officers of the Commonwealth Ombudsman will help you develop insight into why managing expectations, communicating clearly, and thoroughly explaining decisions are vital in complaint resolution. We will also discuss consistent themes in complaints received at the Ombudsman’s Office, and what pitfalls to avoid in complaint management.
Biography:
Sharna Ansah manages the Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement work related to the Overseas Students Ombudsman function of the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman’s Office does the following:
• investigates complaints about problems that intending, current or former overseas students have with private schools, colleges and universities (education providers) in Australia,
• provides information about best practice complaints handling to help private education providers manage internal complaints effectively, and
• publishes reports on issues in international education that are identified through investigations.
The Ombudsman’s Office has a unique insight into the problems that international students can face and concerns they raise about their education providers. Sharna and her team deliver workshops to education providers that focus on the benefits of having a good complaint handling system, what a good system looks like, and practical steps for handling complaints well.