Independent Assessors of Student Finance Appeals and Complaints
Closed
Body: | Student Loans Company |
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Appointing Department: | Department for Education |
Sectors: | Business, Finance & Skills, Education, Judicial, Prison & Policing, Prison & Policing |
Location: | UK |
Skills required: | Legal / Judicial, Regulation |
Number of Vacancies: | Up to a maximum of 7 |
Remuneration: | A daily rate of £500 per day |
Time Requirements: | A commitment to complete and report on a minimum of 4 complaints or appeals cases per month, plus attendance at a minimum of three meetings per year. |
Campaign Timeline
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Competition Launched
04/12/2020
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Closed for Applications
27/12/2020 at 12:00
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Panel Sift
TBC No longer expected in the week commencing 25th January 2021
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Final Interview Date
TBC - No longer expected in the week commencing 1st March 2021
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Announcement
TBC
Provisional sift and interview dates have been rescheduled. Updates will appear as soon as revised dates are known.
Assessment Panel
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Ailsa Harris Added 04/12/2020
Panel Chair
Deputy Director, SLC Strategy and Sponsorship Team • Departmental Official
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Gary Womersley Added 04/12/2020
SLC Company Secretary and Head of Assurance Services • Representative of Organisation
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Emma Black Added 04/12/2020
General Counsel and Board Secretary, CITB • Independent Member
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Sinead Gallagher Added 04/12/2020
Deputy Director for Education (Wales) • Departmental Official
Vacancy Description
Background
SLC is a Non-Departmental Public Body, sponsored by the Department for Education. It administers loans and grants to students throughout the United Kingdom, serving over 8 million customers per year and managing a loan book worth more than £130bn. While SLC has robust processes in place, a very small number of SLC customers make complaints about the service they have received or choose to appeal decisions around their eligibility for student finance each year. A smaller subset of those complaints and appeals move through SLC’s internal complaints and appeals handling system and are adjudicated by an independent assessor appointed by the Secretary of State for Education. The Independent Assessors (“IAs”) provide an independent review of appeals or complaints made to SLC and impartially determine whether an error, or service failing, has been made and whether compensation is due to the customer. Review by an IA represents the final stage of the appeals and complaints process. Following the IA review, the complainant or appellant can ask the Ombudsman [Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Public Service Ombudsman for Wales, Public Service Ombudsman for Scotland, NI Public Service Ombudsman] to consider their case or initiate Judicial Review proceedings. IAs play a vital and expert role in the functioning of the student finance system by ensuring SLC is accountable for the decisions it makes and customers have an independent route of redress in the small number of cases where errors are made. IAs are allocated cases and there is an expectation of timely, accurate and well considered reports which are cognisant of the relevant legislation– in order that they can be shared directly with the customer. The Secretary of State for Education has currently appointed nine IAs to review complaints and appeals, who work collaboratively to share best practice and knowledge. The IAs are further supported by policy officials and the SLC Sponsor Team in the DfE who, through a quarterly meeting, update the IAs on any changes to legislation or policy direction which may affect decision making. IAs are also supported by a dedicated team at SLC, who ensure access is provided to relevant customer information, transcripts, and audio recordings.
Vacancy Description The main responsibilities and duties of an Independent Assessor will be to:
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Person Specification
Essential criteria:
The successful candidates will have:
Desirable criteria:
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Attachments | |
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Candidate-Application-Form |
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Diversity_Monitoring_Form |
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Public-Appointments-Privacy-Notice |
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Candidate Pack - IAs |