Complaints

Please note, complaints investigated by Scent and Track UK must be in relation to training events and assessments held under Scent and Track UK regulations only, and complaints can only be lodged against Instructors affiliated with Scent and Track UK. We offer a reminder that most grievances can and should be resolved informally in good faith, without resorting to this formal process.

  1. All complaints regarding the misconduct of Instructors should be submitted in writing by email to Scent and Track UK at hello@scentandtrack.co.uk within 31 days of the most recent alleged misconduct. The content of a complaint must include specific details and evidence in relation to the infringement of Scent and Track UK Rules & Regulations or Instructor Code of Conduct, or any other offence or misconduct carried out during or in association with Scent and Track UK activities which might reasonably be considered as bringing or having the potential to bring Scent and Track UK into disrepute. If the matter is in regards to Scent and Track UK’s Officers, writing may be addressed instead to [email], whereby the designated alternative representative will follow the same procedure.
  2. Upon receipt of a complaint, (and having taken professional advice or consultation as they consider necessary to the circumstances) Scent and Track UK will write to the Instructor or Instructors concerned to inform them of the complaint and invite them to respond within fourteen (14) days.
  3. At this stage, if the complaint is deemed to have sufficient evidence to be pursued, Scent and Track UK will appoint three (3) Instructors of good standing who have no direct/indirect interest or involvement in the matter to sit as a Disciplinary Panel. If a complaint is deemed to have insufficient evidence, or is considered frivolous, vexatious, or malicious, Scent and Track UK will return to the Complainant with an explanation. The Complainant is entitled to request a review of this decision from the designated alternative representative of Scent and Track UK.
  4. The Disciplinary Panel will meet on a date fixed by Scent and Track UK within 31 days of the above (Rule 3), during which time the panel will consider the initial complaint and any responses from the Instructor(s) involved. The Disciplinary Panel will be confidential and held in private, and the decision of the Disciplinary Panel will be final and conclusive. All parties concerned will be provided with the formal outcome of the Disciplinary Panel within seven (7) days.
  5. If the Disciplinary Panel is satisfied by majority on the balance of probabilities that an offence of misconduct has been committed by an Instructor, then it may impose one or more of the following actions:
    • Note the misconduct with no further action,
    • Formally warn the Instructor concerned as to further conduct,
    • Suspend the Instructor from Scent and Track UK affiliation pending re-training or further training,
    • Suspend the Instructor from Scent and Track UK affiliation for a period of time constituting between 6 months and 2 years,
    • Disqualify the Instructor from Scent and Track UK affiliation permanently.
  6. An appeal may be lodged within seven (7) days of receiving the outcome of the Disciplinary Panel, which must include stated grounds on which the Discipinary Panel’s verdict is being challenged. If there are sufficient grounds to challenge the original verdict, the Appeals process will be followed, whereby Scent and Track UK will appoint three (3) Instructors of good standing who have no direct/indirect interest or involvement in the original matter or the disciplinary panel to sit on an Appeals Panel.
  7. The Appeals Panel will meet on a date fixed by Scent and Track UK within 31 days of the above (Rule 6), during which time the panel will consider the initial complaint, the procedure and outcome of the Disciplinary Panel, and any responses from the parties involved. The decision of the Appeals Panel will be final and conclusive. All parties concerned will be provided with the formal outcome of the appeals panel within seven (7) days.
  8. The Appeals Panel shall have power to make a decision by majority on the balance of probabilities on the facts as it thinks fit, and may:
    • Quash the original decision,
    • Confirm the original findings,
    • Request that the case be reheard (re-trial),
    • Increase the original sanction, or
    • Abate the original sanction.
  9. Every effort will be made to adhere to the time frame outlined above, but in the case of exceptional circumstances, this may not be possible. In those cases, all involved parties will be informed and a new timeline for resolution should be mutually agreed.
  10. Scent and Track UK reserves the right to adjust or amend this outlined process as necessary at any time that there is no ongoing complaint.

Again, we offer a reminder that this process should be a last resort. Most grievances can and should be resolved informally in good faith without resorting to this formal process.

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