Malpractice Policy

Famlingo BSL Centre

Policies

Aim

To identify and minimise the risk of malpractice and maladministration by Famlingo or learners.
To respond to any incident of alleged malpractice promptly and objectively.
To standardise and record any investigation of malpractice to ensure openness and fairness.
To impose appropriate penalties and/or sanctions on learners or staff where incidents (or attempted incidents) of malpractice are proven.
To protect the integrity of Famlingo and Signature qualifications.

To do this, Famlingo will:

Seek to avoid potential malpractice by using the induction period to inform participants of the centre’s policy on malpractice and the penalties for attempted and actual incidents of malpractice
Show participants the appropriate formats to record cited texts and other materials or information sources
Ask participants to declare that their work is their own.
Ask participants to provide evidence that they have interpreted and synthesised appropriate information and acknowledge any sources used
If malpractice is alleged, this centre will immediately inform Signature of any such allegations via email
Conduct an investigation of the malpractice allegations.

Such an investigation will be supported by the Famlingo Director and all personnel linked to the allegation. It will proceed through the following stages:

Make the individual fully aware at the earliest opportunity of the nature of the alleged malpractice and of the possible consequences should malpractice be proven
Give the individual the opportunity to respond to the allegations made
Inform the individual of the avenues for appealing against any judgment made
Document all stages of any investigation.

Where malpractice is proven, this centre will apply the following penalties / sanctions:

The individual will not be allowed to resit or retake the formal assessment until 4 months after the malpractice took place.

Definition of Malpractice by Learners

This list is not exhaustive and other instances of malpractice may be considered by Famlingo at its discretion.

Plagiarism of any nature.
Collusion by working collaboratively with other learners to produce work that is submitted as individual learner work.
Copying (including the use of ICT to aid copying).
Deliberate destruction of another’s work.
Fabrication of results or evidence.
False declaration of authenticity in relation to the contents of a portfolio or coursework.
Impersonation by pretending to be someone else to produce the work for another or arranging for another to take one’s place in an assessment/test.

Definition of Malpractice by Famlingo staff and Partners

This list is not exhaustive and other instances of malpractice may be considered by Famlingo at its discretion.

Improper assistance to candidates e.g. providing assessment material prior to the assessment.
Holding the assessment on a date other than agreed with the Awarding Body.
Inventing or changing marks for internally assessed work (coursework or portfolio evidence) where there is insufficient evidence of the candidates’ achievement to justify the marks given or assessment decisions made.
Failure to keep candidate coursework/portfolios of evidence secure.
Fraudulent claims for certificates.
Inappropriate retention of certificates.
Assisting learners in the production of work for assessment, where the support has the potential to influence the outcomes of assessment.
Producing falsified witness statements, for example for evidence the learner has not generated.
Allowing evidence, which is known by the staff member not to be the learner’s own, to be included in a learner’s assignment/portfolio.
Facilitating and allowing impersonation.
Misusing the conditions for special learner requirements, for example where learners are permitted support, this is permissible up to the point where the support has the potential to influence the outcome of the assessment.
Falsifying records/certificates, for example by alteration, substitution, or by fraud.
Fraudulent certificate claims, that is claiming for a certificate prior to the learner completing all the requirements of the assessment