If you are on a course that leads to a professional qualification, you will be expected to meet the standards the professional body which validates the course you are on.

If there are concerns that you may not be meeting these standards, your school will follow a process, called “Fitness to Practise” (“FTP”).

Concerns can be raised about either a student’s Professional Suitability or Professional Conduct.

Professional Suitability is usually relevant when a student is alleged to have done or said something outside of a professional setting, but which could have an impact on the way they may behave in a professional capacity in the future.

Professional Misconduct relates to something which a student is alleged to have done or said while in a professional setting, which could represent either a risk to a staff member or client, or which could bring their professional service into disrepute.

It is important to remember that being invited to a meeting to discuss an FTP concern will not always lead to a disciplinary process. In the first instance it is intended to find out whether there is a problem which needs to be dealt with, and where possible to resolve that problem.

If you are unwell or worried about how things are going, one of the standards of conduct expected of you is that you seek appropriate help. Don’t hold back from doing this. Your personal advisor, mentor and other sources of support are there to help you progress with your studies.

Anybody can raise an FTP concern. This includes other students, academic or

placement staff, workplace colleagues, clients, or members of the general public.

This is done by completing a Cause for Concern (CFC) form or via direct contact with the FTP Lead in your school.

When this is received, your school’s FTP Lead will invite you to attend a meeting to discuss the concern. In advance of the meeting you should be sufficient detail to allow you to understand the nature of the concerns and how they have arisen.

It is important that you attend any fitness to practise meeting you are invited to as not attending could be considered a breach of General Regulations.

If you are unable to attend, contact the school as soon as possible to explain your reasons and to ask if it can be re-arranged.

You can be accompanied to the meeting, if you wish, by a friend or an advisor from advice(su). Your companion cannot be a legal representative and must not be connected with the allegations being investigated.

The FTP Lead will also consider the implications of the allegations to determine whether any immediate action needs to be taken, such as if the safety of either you or somebody else is deemed to be at risk. In some cases, it may not be appropriate to continue placement or attend teaching whilst the FTP process is ongoing.

The meeting will be chaired by an academic member of staff/the FTP lead where possible. There will usually be two other members of the panel. One of these members would normally be a practising member of the profession.

The Chair will introduce everyone at the meeting. The reason for the meeting will be explained to you and you will then be given a chance to give your side of the story. You may then be asked questions to clarify anything you have said.

If you have someone accompanying you, such as an Advice Worker, they cannot answer questions on your behalf. If you are uncertain about anything raised in the meeting, you can ask to take a break to speak to them privately to ask for advice during the meeting.

At the end of the meeting the Chair will sum up what has been said and tell you when you can expect to hear the outcome.

The preparation needed will depend on the reason you have been called to the meeting, but in general:

• Reflect about why this problem has arisen and be prepared to discuss it openly and honestly
• If the allegation made is true, or partly true, it is much better to admit what happened and to show you understand the reason why the incident is a matter for concern
• Gather any evidence you can, for example copies of relevant emails, and take these to the meeting
• If the reason for the meeting relates to your health, think about what you can do to take care of your health in future and what support you can access to help you.

The FTP Lead may decide that:

• There are no fitness to practise concerns, in which case no record will be kept of the allegation or meeting unless it is required by the relevant professional, statutory or regulatory body.
• Where the concerns are considered to be low level, give advice as to the expectations of the profession and warn of the consequences should you be found in the future to have committed any breach and/or make a recommendation to the Head of the School that a formal warning be recorded on your file
• ask your adviser or supervisor to trigger the Student Engagement Procedure or, in the case of postgraduate research students, the PGR Procedures on Attendance, Engagement, and Process and identify a plan of action and outcomes which you must meet
• recommend to the Head of the School that a referral should be made to Senate Student Discipline Committee
• If you deny the factual basis giving rise to the professionalism concerns, and/or where the Fitness to Practise Lead considers the case to be complex, the Fitness to Practise Lead may recommend to the Head of School that an Investigating Officer be appointed to investigate the concern.

The Fitness to Practise Lead may request that you consent to an occupational health assessment or specialised medical assessment for the purposes of informing the investigation and deciding on an appropriate outcome.

You can request to meet with an advisor in advance of your meeting to discuss the process in more detail and how to prepare for the meeting. You can also discuss whether you would like your allocated advisor to attend the meeting as your companion.

Contact us for an appointment.