What is the process for assessing a significant change?
This section answers these questions:
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Initial assessment
When NZQA receives a notification of significant provider change it conducts an initial validation assessment. This is to ensure that the application is complete before the detailed assessment. The notification will progress if:
- the formal statement includes all details and documents as per the application pack
- the letter is signed by a representative of the organisation's governing body (ie the signatory name on the letter must match a current management contact in NZQA databases)
- there are no concerns relating to the financial history of the provider(s) concerned.
If either of the first two requirements are not met, the organisation will be asked to supply them. Until they have been received, the notification will not progress to the next stage.
Detailed assessment
When the required information is received the notification is referred to a manager for allocation to a staff member with overall responsibility for processing the assessment. This person is the project coordinator.
The coordinator will:
- oversee the completion of the various assessment activities
- liaise when necessary with staff from other business units
- ensure that all parts of the project are brought to conclusion simultaneously.
The coordinator will first assess the nature and grade of change according to the Table of Significant Change in the application pack.
This assessment may differ from that assumed by the organisation. If so, the coordinator will contact the organisation and explain the implications of the decision. For example, a proposed change of ownership may be assessed as major rather than medium. The organisation might then wish to reconsider its options before proceeding further.
In the case of multiple types of changes, the highest grade of change will govern the project. For example, an organisation may propose a name change and new student fee protection arrangements. Such a notification will be processed as a medium change (which is the higher grade of change).
Once the nature and grade of change is confirmed, the coordinator will assess the notification in detail. The three principles in all assessment are to:
- confirm that the requirements for registration, accreditation or approval continue to be met, despite the notified change
- confirm that decisions are supported by valid and reliable evidence
- work from a 'high trust' model. That is, to assume that only notified changes fall within the scope of the assessment.
If information received from the organisation is insufficient to complete the assessment two further submissions can be made.
If these submissions are not received in good time, or if they still fail to provide the necessary information, the notification will be assessed as "not meeting NZQA requirements", work will be suspended and NZQA will assess the situation and decide on what action needs to occur.
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