Terms & Conditions
General Terms & Conditions
Definitions
“Delegate” means the person attending the event
“Event” means courses/training/ briefings or conferences offered by the SSCP as the stated venue
“Materials” means any documentation in either electronic or printed form
“Venue” means the location at which an event is to be held
“We” SSCP and Trainers
Our Responsibilities
It is our responsibility to
- Confirm your booking by email unless you have registered with an @noreply.co email address.
- Send an automated email confirmation to secure your booking, (unless - see 1. above), you therefore need to supply us with a contact number to enable us to contact you should a course be changed or cancelled.
- Endeavour to give you as much notice as possible in the event of any cancellations
- If we cancel the training on which you are booked, you will be contacted at the email address or telephone number you provided when registering, so please be sure to provide valid details
- We will issue a certificate on completion of courses (this includes post training activities such as evaluation of the course where relevant).
- We reserve the right to withhold certificates for programmes until the course evaluated or if you did not meet the required standard for completion.
- We reserve the right to refuse access to training due to delegates having shown threatening, abusive or persistently disruptive behaviour, or on the grounds of outstanding course payment.
Your Responsibilities
It is the delegates’ responsibility to:
- Obtain authorisation from your manager before booking onto an event and gain agreement that your release to attend this training will be prioritised.
- Provide accurate and up to date information when creating and updating an account.
- Provide accurate and up to date information when booking on any of our events
- If you have registered with a @noreply.com email then it is your responsibility to check the booking system to ensure that your booking has been authorised
- Keep relevant information relating to training events you are booked onto.
- Notify us of any specific dietary or access requirements.
- Attend all dates on courses (if it has more than one day) as stated within each course (e.g. 2 days or more).
- Arrive promptly at all events booked.
- You must stay for the duration of the course. If unforeseen circumstances occur and you need to miss part of the course, then attainment of the certificate will be negotiated with the trainer. SSCP reserves the right not to issue a certificate of attendance.
- Complete an online evaluation of the event within 7-10 working days of the course attendance and complete any required post learning activity in required timeframe.
- Print off and bring with you any documents that you have been requested to bring when booking on the course, i.e. course workbook.
- Complete pre-course reading, or tasks set before attending the course.
Registering for Training
All bookings are subject to the agreement of the delegate and their manager.
By submitting your booking request, the delegate and manager (where relevant) confirm they have read the terms and conditions and are happy for the nominated delegate to attend on the date specified and has met any pre-requisite requirements of a course.
You will be responsible for updating your details on the system if you move departments or establishments to ensure our data is as accurate as possible.
It will be the responsibility of the establishment where the delegate initially books on a course from, who will be liable for the full costs of any course including late cancellations.
'Organisation Type' This must be chosen correctly from the choices in the drop-down menu. Please note: Once set, this registration field cannot be amended by delegates after submission. Any requests to change the data in this field must be sent in writing to SSCPTraining@somerset.gov.uk
A Transfer Journal (TJ) budget code (for all Local Authority agencies inc. maintained educational establishments), Purchase Order/Invoice address and contact details must be provided at time of booking, including for courses which are free of charge for attendance (where cancellation/non-attendance fee’s may apply). For delegates booking and paying for courses using a budget code, by clicking on the booking confirmation you confirm that you have gained relevant line manager approval to attend the course and have it authorised for the SSCP to transfer the cost of the course from your team budget via Transfer Journal Code.
On registration, you will be required to add your line manager details.
This is for the following reasons:
- Evaluation - Your manager will be contacted 3 months after your attendance at a course with a request to respond to an evaluation survey of how the course has impacted on your practice
- Payment - In the event of non-attendance, your line manager will be contacted to make payment arrangements for any non-attendance fee.
Childminders
- Please add your own details under the request for Line Manager details
Please make sure that you enter the following details when registering on the training booking system to enable the SSCP to contact you, if necessary, in the event of a last-minute cancellation / change / emergency or for charging purposes in the event of cancellations of courses:
- Delegate's full address, including postcode
- Delegate's personal phone contact details
- Line Manager's/finance manager's email
- Line Manager's phone contact details
Course Charging
All course costs are kept to a minimum and all funds raised through the provision of events are used to further enhance the range and quality of learning.
Any costs associated with training or events are advertised along with course details.
Course Admission & Attendance
Bookings are accepted with the expectation that the delegate will attend the course in full.
Leaving early is not acceptable practice, and your certificate may be withheld.
Please note: This applies to both the start and the end of the session.
Any legitimate need to join a session late or leave a session early must be discussed in writing with the SSCP Training Manager prior to the session, or, in more urgent cases, discussed and agreed with the trainer in person before the session gets underway.
If a delegate is 30 or more minutes late arriving for the start of a course, Trainers may turn them away from the course and they will be marked as absent and be subject to a non-attendance fee (see below). It is a course requirement that delegates are not absent from the delivery of material for 30 minutes or more per course.
For online courses, if a delegate misses 15 or more minutes of an online course which lasts for up to 2 hours, they will be marked as absent and be subject to a non-attendance fee (see below).
If a delegate misses a total of 30 or more minutes of an online course which lasts for longer than 2 hours, they will be marked as absent and be subject to a non-attendance fee (see below).
If a delegate is marked as absent under the conditions above the course will be required to be completed in full to receive certification.
If you are attending training which is being delivered online, please ensure that you log-on and sign in at least 15 minutes before the training is due to start.
During online training delegates must ensure that their cameras are on at all times unless instructed to turn them off at any point by the training and actively engage with discussion points or when asked a question. If a delates camera is not turned on and there is a lack of engagement during the workshop it may be presumed that the delagte is not attending the workshop and so may be marked as absent.
Trainers have the authority to refuse entry to unconfirmed attendees.
Please note: Attendees who do not have a registered SSCP training account, or who have not booked to attend an event, should be aware that they will not be automatically eligible for, or be able to download a certificate even if the trainer gives permission for them to remain in the session. Unconfirmed attendance will be brought to the attention of the SSCP Training Manager and will be later discussed with an attendee's line manager.
Certificates are generated electronically by the booking system. Only registered delegates, therefore, can download a certificate in their name from their SSCP training account after an event and only after their attendance has been confirmed by the trainer.
Discourteous and disruptive behaviour during events will not be tolerated.
If a delegate is asked to leave an event prior to its completion due to their behaviour negatively impacting on the learning of others, then a certificate will not be issued, and no refunds will be given.
In such circumstances notification of any disruptive behaviour will be made to a delegate’s line manager.
Delegates are not permitted under any circumstances to share online meeting links.
Cancellation of Booking
Relevant substitutions of attendee may be made at any time without charge.
If you are unable to attend the training and have identified someone else to take your place, please ensure that the chosen course will match his or her learning needs and that they meet any pre-requisite requirements for the course attending.
If a substitution has been identified after the end of the last working day before the training and it is therefore not possible to speak to a member of the SSCP Training Team, it is necessary for the substituted delegate to email SSCPTraining@somerset.gov.uk with the details of both delegates (original and substituted) and the details of the course. The substituted delegate must also sign the register on the day (for a face-to-face course) or sign into the online delivery via the 'Meeting Chat' to provide evidence of attendance. If not already registered on the course booking system, the substitute delegate must also set up a user profile on the SSCP training booking system. This enables the attendance to be recorded on the system and avoid any unnecessary charges, it also means that the substitute delegate can download their certificate of attendance.
On the day of the training course, Trainers delivering the course will not have the authority to sanction additional or substitute attendees without the knowledge of the SSCP Training Manager and unsanctioned delegates may be turned away.
Delegates are not authorised to forward links for online training courses to other practitioners unless sanctioned by the SSCP Training Manager to do so.
It is the delegate’s responsibility to cancel bookings online at the earliest opportunity using the online booking system (please see cancellation charges below).
As demand for SSCP courses is high and some applications may be unsuccessful, early cancellation is important in order that the place can be offered to another participant.
Cancellations
Notice of cancellations must be received no less than 14 days prior to the course date otherwise delegates will be charged as below:
Charges will be applied for the following timescales: -
Notice of cancellation received more than 14 working days before course start: No Charge. Full refund or transfer to another course date available on request.
Notice of cancellation received within 14 working days of course start date: Full Cost
Requests to change course attendance dates within 14 days before the course start date will be treated as a cancellation and delegates will need to inform the SSCP of their intention to cancel and rebook another date through the Learning Management System.
Requests to move course attendance dates more than 14 working days before course start date must be emailed to SSCPTraining@somerset.gov.uk and if there are spaces available on the requested date your booking will be transferred to this date and you will receive confirmation of this in writing.
Courses Offered Free of Charge for Delegates (Funded spaces from the SSCP)
Courses offered free of charge for delegates are not free to run, and sadly we do experience high levels of non-attendance at free training events.
To support atteendance at training events that are fully funded by the SSCP, an initial charge will be made on booking of the full course cost (£70) which will be refunded in full within 10 working day after course attendance. Refunds will be made to the original payment source.
Should you book on a funded event but fail to attend or notify us of a cancellation with less than 14 days of the course start date you will not be entitled to a refund of any booking fees paid.
Continued failure to attend booked training may result in delegates being denied access to future learning & development opportunities.
If a delegate has substituted their booking in writing and the substituted delegate is registered on the booking system but fails to attend, then no refunds will be provided.
Short-Notice Cancellations or Non-Attendance Due to Unforeseen Events/Exceptional Circumstances
We understand that unforeseen events/exceptional circumstances can lead to late-cancellation or non-attendance, in which case, the SSCP may consider to waiver the non-attendance fee if a full and valid explanation is offered. The delegate, or the delegates Line Manager, must inform us at the earliest opportunity, ideally before the training course date or within 7 days afterwards, by emailing SSCPTraining@somerset.gov.uk The SSCP Training Manager will use their discretion in deciding whether a waiver will be made.
Cancellation charges may be waived at our discretion if:
- the reason is an emergency.
- a bereavement.
- if we are partly at fault, e.g. not provided correct information or not sent an email.
Delegate sickness (non-emergency), or sickness of a dependent (including children), loss of internet connection and/or failure to access an online course delivery will not be viewed as exceptional circumstance and a non-attendance fee will still be payable.
Cancellation charges will also not be waived if a staff member did not see a confirmation email, did not see reminder emails, forgot about their booking, or their manager did not plan the staff rota to enable attendance.
Non-Attendance of Booking
If you are unable to attend a course that you have booked on to, we expect you to contact us to inform us of this ahead of the cancellation period (cancellation period for events are typically 14 days but delegates should check this in advance of booking).
If you do not inform us and do not attend, we will email you and your manager/finance team to notify of the non-attendance and inform of non-attendance fee.
Appeals Process
It is accepted there will be exceptional circumstances when delegates are justifiably unable to attend events at short notice. Delegate’s line managers are expected to appeal in writing to the SSCP Training Manager within 5 days of receipt of notification of non-attendance. Appeals will be considered on a case by case basis.
Cancellations and Changes to Training by the SSCP
In exceptional and unforeseen circumstances such as trainer illness or adverse weather conditions, on rare occasions, the SSCP may be required to cancel training with limited notice.
Wherever feasible alternative training dates will be offered without additional charges.
If delegates are unable to attend alternative dates provided or a course is cancelled outright any training charges made will be reimbursed. In such circumstances the SSCP will not be held liable or reimburse other costs incurred by organisations such as those incurred in releasing staff to attend courses or travel expenses.
If delegates are unable to attend an event due to adverse weather conditions where weather warnings have been issued advising of travel restrictions, the fee for non-attendance will be waivered.
e-Learning
All e-Learning courses must be completed within 4 weeks of starting the learning unless otherwise stipulated. Non-completion/rebooking charges may be incurred for courses not completed within these timescales.
Equality of Opportunity
The SSCP will always promote equality of opportunity and enable equal access to learning. The SSCP will ensure that delegates are not discriminated against because of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. These are known as ‘protected characteristics’ as outlined in the Equality Act 2010 which defines direct discrimination as less favourable treatment because of a protected characteristic (Equality Act 2010).
If any additional considerations are required by a delegate, please include these at the time of booking.
If you would like to directly discuss any adjustments required prior to booking please contact SSCPTraining@somerset.gov.uk
Debt Recovery Proceedings
Failure to pay course, cancellation or non-attendance fees will result in the debt being passed to a debt recovery agency which may incur additional unavoidable costs.
Until any outstanding debts are cleared then future course bookings will be witheld to your organisation.
Miscellaneous
Where there is a requirement to leave early please state under “Special Requirements” when completing your online booking or mention to your trainer at the start of the session. You will be marked as partially attended and the trainer / SSCP reserves the right not to issue a certificate of attendance.
We make every effort to ensure that venues have adequate parking, however we cannot guarantee there will be spaces on the day. Please contact the venue stated on the confirmation email for further details where applicable.
If the course you wish to attend is fully booked, check to see if there is another date available that you can attend.