Policy for Reports of Noncompliance
A complaint is a written statement involving allegations of non-compliance with the Standards and policies and procedures of the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC). The complaint may be filed by any person, including a student, a member of the general public, faculty, a government official, or representative of an organization, who has personal knowledge of possible noncompliance within an ACGC accredited genetic counseling program.
The complete Policy and Resolution Process for Reports of Noncompliance can be found in the Accreditation Manual.
Scope
ACGC will consider and investigate only those complaints containing allegations which, if substantiated, may indicate noncompliance with the current Standards of Accreditation and/or established policies noted within the Accreditation Manual. If an investigation identifies noncompliance, ACGC can issue a revised accreditation decision.
Limitations
ACGC is not a mediator of disputes and, generally, will not interpose itself in a manner that limits the discretion of a program in the normal operation of its personnel or academic policies and procedures. Such matters should be addressed through the program’s published grievance policy/procedures, and can include student admissions, student grades, faculty appointment or promotion, or dismissal of faculty or students. ACGC cannot seek any type of compensation, re-admission, or other redress on behalf of an individual. ACGC will not respond to or take action upon any report that is defamatory, hostile, or profane. In addition, ACGC cannot involve itself in collective bargaining disputes.
A complaint against an ACGC accredited program may be submitted to ACGC at any time using the Non-Compliance Form, however the facts and circumstances prompting the complaint must have occurred within one year of submitting the Report of Non-Compliance to ACGC. Complaints should assert facts in sufficient detail to support the allegations and permit a fair investigation by ACGC and response to the complaint by the program. Relevant Standards of Accreditation and/or established policies should be referenced in the complaint. If ACGC cannot fully ascertain the facts related to a complaint, ACGC may not be able to further investigate the noncompliance report.
Anonymous Reports and Requests for Confidentiality
While anonymous complaints are accepted, ACGC may not be able to take action based on such complaints if additional information is needed in the course of the investigation and the original complainant cannot be contacted.
Although the complainant may request confidentiality, the ACGC cannot guarantee the confidentiality of the complainant’s identity. ACGC may not be able to fully investigate a complaint if the identity of the complainant is necessary to the investigation and/or for the program to adequately respond to the complaint allegations. ACGC has discretion in determining whether to process complaints submitted anonymously.
Any information about a program or school may be released to the Program Director, Dean, Department Head, or Administrative Supervisor (hereafter, referred to as a “Program Official”), and Executive Office of the ACGC, their respective attorneys, and other persons authorized by the Program Official, required by law, or necessary, in the discretion of the ACGC, to fully investigate the Report. The facts and circumstances prompting the complaint must have occurred within one year of submitting the Report of Noncompliance to ACGC.
Filing a Report of Noncompliance
- 1. All efforts should be made by the complainant to resolve a noncompliance concern through the program’s published grievance policy/procedures prior to submission.
- If the concern is not resolved through these stated policies, complainants may submit a report using the ACGC Noncompliance Form.
- ACGC will not accept complaints filed on behalf of someone other than the complainant. Complainants should follow the instructions and answer all questions on the Form as completely as possible.
Questions about how to file a Report of Noncompliance may be referred to the ACGC Executive Office at info@gceducation.org. ACGC will only consider concerns submitted using the ACGC Report of Noncompliance Form.
