Overview
The complainant, Mr C, raised a number of concerns that his daughter, Ms C, was not treated appropriately by her Practice Teacher (Practice Teacher 2) while on placement for her University course. Mr C also complained that Glasgow Caledonian University (the University) failed to act in an appropriate manner when considering Mr C's complaint.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that:
- (a) the conduct of Practice Teacher 2 towards Ms C was inappropriate (not upheld);
- (b) the University failed to respond to questions put to them by Mr C (not upheld);
- (c) the University passed a complaint from the Council about Ms C to the Scottish Social Services Council when there was no requirement for them to do so and did not refer a complaint made by Mr C about Practice Teacher 2 to the Scottish Social Services Council (not upheld);
- (d) the way in which the University considered Mr C's complaint and conducted their investigation was not in line with their procedures (partially upheld);
- (e) the University interviewed Ms C for a number of hours without telling her the purpose of the interview (not upheld).
Redress and recommendation
The Ombudsman recommends that the University consider reviewing their complaints procedures to take into account complaints where there are one or more aspects which concern allegations of bullying or harassment, to ensure that such allegations are properly considered under the relevant policy.
The University have accepted the recommendation and will act on it accordingly.