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Complaints & appeals

An accreditor that cannot be complained about is not accountable. Anyone can raise a concern about an accredited program, a reviewer, a Commissioner or ICPCAS itself; programs can appeal any adverse decision. Both routes have fixed clocks, written outcomes and one rule throughout: the subject of a complaint never handles it.

File a complaintAppeal a decision
Woman examining documents with a pen at a bright table — filing a complaint or appeal with ICPCAS about an accredited care program
Which route

Three doors. Pick the one that fits.

Route AComplaint about a program

An accredited or Candidate program is not meeting the standards, has misrepresented its status, or has taught or marketed outside its scope.

  • ✓Refund policy not followed as published
  • ✓Instructors not as described
  • ✓Mark used on a non-accredited course
  • ✓Scope of practice taught beyond the discipline
Freeto file
90 daysto outcome
Route BComplaint about ICPCAS or its people

A reviewer, Commissioner, committee member or staff member acted with a conflict, breached confidentiality, or ICPCAS did not follow its own published procedure.

  • ✓Undisclosed conflict of interest
  • ✓Reviewer conduct during a visit
  • ✓Missed turnaround or process step
  • ✓Breach of confidentiality
Freeto file
90 daysto outcome
Route CAppeal by a program

Your program received a denial, withdrawal or conditions you dispute, and you believe the decision was procedurally flawed, misapplied a standard, or is unsupported by the record.

  • ✓Only the program may appeal
  • ✓Within 30 days of the decision letter
  • ✓New evidence is not a ground
  • ✓Status unchanged during appeal
$750refunded if upheld
120 daysto decision

What a complaint can achieve

  • ✓Required corrective action by the program, verified
  • ✓A focused review, or referral to the Committee for an accreditation action
  • ✓Removal of a reviewer or Commissioner for cause
  • ✓A change to an ICPCAS procedure that failed

What it cannot

  • –Order a refund, damages or any remedy to an individual; that is between the student and the program, or for the courts
  • –Discipline an individual practitioner; ICPCAS accredits programs, not people
  • –Re-open an accreditation decision; that is what appeals are for
  • –Resolve a dispute about a program that is not accredited or a Candidate
Our commitments

Clocks we publish and keep

10business days to acknowledge any complaint in writing and tell you whether it is in scope
20days for the subject of a complaint to respond with evidence before investigation begins
90days from filing to a written outcome, or a written explanation of the delay and a new date
0people involved in handling a complaint who are its subject or have a conflict with any party
Hands holding a complaint file and pen — ICPCAS acknowledges every complaint within 10 business days.
Hands holding a complaint file and pen — ICPCAS acknowledges every complaint within 10 business days.
Two colleagues discussing a file at a desk — the subject of an ICPCAS complaint always has 20 days to respond before investigation.
Two colleagues discussing a file at a desk — the subject of an ICPCAS complaint always has 20 days to respond before investigation.
Two professionals shaking hands in an office — most ICPCAS complaints about programs end in verified corrective action, not sanctions.
Two professionals shaking hands in an office — most ICPCAS complaints about programs end in verified corrective action, not sanctions.
Routes A & B

File a complaint

You can file anonymously, but we may not be able to investigate fully or tell you the outcome. If you name yourself, your identity is withheld from the subject unless you consent or the complaint cannot be assessed without it.

Complaint form

Your name (optional)
Email for updates (optional)
What is the complaint about?
Your relationship
Program or person concerned
What happened, and when
Tell us which standard or policy you think was breached if you know; if not, describe what happened and we will map it.
Have you raised this with the program directly?
Not required, but for program complaints we generally ask that the program's own grievance procedure be used first unless doing so would be unsafe or pointless.
Submit complaint
Prefer post? ICPCAS Complaints, [mailing address]. Mark the envelope "Confidential".
After you file

What happens next

Day 0Complaint receivedLogged with a reference number you can quote.
By day 10Acknowledged and screenedIn scope, out of scope with reasons and a redirection, or a request for more detail.
By day 30Subject notifiedReceives the complaint (your identity withheld unless consented) and has 20 days to respond.
Day 30–75InvestigationStaff, or an assigned reviewer for program matters, examine the record; may request documents, records or interviews.
By day 90Written outcomeTo you and the subject. Where corrective action is required, a deadline and a verification step.
No actionThe standard was met or the matter is outside ICPCAS's remit. Reasons given.
Corrective actionThe program must fix a specific failure by a date; ICPCAS verifies.
Focused reviewA reviewer examines the relevant standards; may lead to conditions.
Referral to CommitteeSerious or repeated failures go to the Accreditation Review Committee for an accreditation action.
Route C

Appeal an adverse decision

Denial, withdrawal, or conditions the program disputes. Three grounds only: procedural error, misapplication of a standard, or a decision unsupported by the record. The Appeals Panel decides on the existing record; it does not re-review the program.

By day 30Notice of appealStates grounds and the findings challenged; $750 fee, refunded if upheld.
By day 45Panel convenedThree members, no prior involvement, one public member. Either party may object for conflict.
By day 75SubmissionsProgram and Committee each file in writing on the existing record.
By day 90Hearing (optional)Virtual, one hour each side, Panel questions.
By day 120DecisionAffirm, reverse or remand. Written reasons. Final.
  • Status during appeal. Unchanged. A denied program remains unaccredited; a program with conditions remains accredited with conditions; a withdrawal is stayed.
  • Remand. If the Panel finds a procedural error, the matter goes back to the Committee for a fresh decision by members who did not take part in the first.
  • Publication. The appeal outcome is published in the actions register with the original decision.
  • Reapplication. If a denial is affirmed, the program may reapply 12 months after the original decision, not the appeal.
Start an appealRead POL-08 Appeals
Senior professionals reviewing and signing a decision — the ICPCAS Appeals Panel decides on the written record within 120 days.
Senior professionals reviewing and signing a decision — the ICPCAS Appeals Panel decides on the written record within 120 days.
Close-up of a professional handshake — an upheld appeal refunds the ICPCAS filing fee in full.
Close-up of a professional handshake — an upheld appeal refunds the ICPCAS filing fee in full.
Program director reviewing paperwork at a desk — grounds of appeal must be stated in the notice within 30 days.
Program director reviewing paperwork at a desk — grounds of appeal must be stated in the notice within 30 days.
Two people shaking hands in an office — ICPCAS appeal outcomes are published with the original decision.
Two people shaking hands in an office — ICPCAS appeal outcomes are published with the original decision.
Frequently asked

About complaints and appeals

Will the program know who complained?

Not unless you consent, or the complaint cannot be assessed without identifying you (for example, a dispute about your own refund), in which case we ask you first. Programs are prohibited from retaliating against complainants; retaliation is itself a Standard 7 finding.

Can I complain about a program that is not ICPCAS accredited?

Only about misuse of the ICPCAS mark or false claims of accreditation. For anything else, ICPCAS has no authority over the program. We can suggest where to turn.

I am a student and my program will not refund me.

First use the program's published grievance procedure; accredited programs must have one. If it fails or is not followed, file a Route A complaint. We can require the program to follow its policy and criterion 7.2 going forward; we cannot order your individual refund.

What if my complaint is about a Commissioner?

It goes to the Ethics & Conflicts Committee, the Commissioner concerned takes no part, and the Chair (or Vice Chair if the Chair is the subject) is informed. Outcomes that result in removal are published.

Can a program appeal conditions, not just denial?

Yes, where the program disputes a specific finding behind a condition. Conditions the program accepts are not appealed; they are met and verified.

What does the appeal fee pay for?

Panel members' time and the hearing. It is refunded in full if the appeal is upheld in whole or part, so a program with a real grievance loses nothing and a program without one has a reason to think twice.

Can we have a lawyer?

Yes. Either party may be represented in written submissions and at the hearing. ICPCAS staff may also be represented. The Panel is not a court and applies ICPCAS standards and policies, not rules of evidence.

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