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Fitness to practise

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During placements, you must meet appropriate standards of conduct, performance, compliance, and health.

About fitness to practise

If you are enrolled in a placement course, or a program with placement components, the standards of behaviour and conduct you are required to meet are shaped by the University’s Work Integrated Learning and Work Experience Policy and by the expectations of your chosen profession.

Together, these determine your "fitness to practise". We take a student’s fitness to practise very seriously. The Fitness to Practise Policy, Fitness to Practise Procedure and Fitness to Practise Guideline were developed to help the University and students manage their obligations.

If concerns are raised about your fitness to practise, we will take appropriate steps to support your learning and formally intervene when appropriate.

The University has a responsibility to balance remediation and learning support with the need to prevent harm.

Fitness to practise concerns

Concerns about your fitness to practise may be raised if you:

  • Engage in conduct that is outside the bounds of what is considered acceptable, or worthy, for membership of your chosen profession.
  • Demonstrate performance that is not consistent with the profession’s established standards.
  • Exhibit disregard for – or an inability to meet – compliance issues, which are the rules, regulations or standards for practising as a member of the profession, or for undertaking professional practice with a provider.
  • Display a disability or health condition that impairs your capacity to practise as required by the profession.

In these circumstances, a fitness to practise concern may be reported to the University, where it will be investigated.

Please note that the Fitness to Practise Policy is not intended for minor breaches that are usually managed as part of your placement.

However, if you were to make multiple minor breaches, these may be considered a fitness to practise concern and may be reported and investigated as appropriate.

For more information about situations that may give rise to a fitness to practise concern, please see the Fitness to Practise Procedure.

Academic misconduct or general misconduct are investigated according to the Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy. They do not fall under the scope of the Fitness to Practise policy.

Fitness to practise investigations – help and advice

If a concern has been raised about your fitness to practise, we will conduct an investigation. During the investigation there are several sources of help, advice and support:

  • Student Help on Campus can help you to understand your rights and obligations during a fitness to practise investigation and hearing.
  • Student Services offers confidential and free online counselling or face-to-face counselling for students who are experiencing anxiety or stress.
  • You are allowed to bring a support person with you if you are required to attend a meeting about a fitness to practise concern. See the Fitness to Practise Policy for details.

For more information about fitness to practise investigations, see the Fitness to Practise Procedure.

Other relevant policies