Our Mission
Kerry Education and Training Board (Kerry ETB) in partnership with its members, staff and stakeholders are committed to creating and promoting the development of a lifelong learning society in Kerry, so that all who live there have access to the education and training required to fulfil their potential and meet their personal, social, cultural, economic and civic needs.
Our Commitment to you our Customer
Kerry ETB is committed to providing a professional, effective and responsive service to all our customers. We will treat all our customers with respect and make every effort to ensure that the services we provide reflect your needs and expectations.
This Customer Charter is Kerry ETB’s public statement on the levels of service you can expect when dealing with Kerry ETB. This outlines our commitment to you, the customer, and describes:
- The level of service you can expect when contacting or visiting Kerry ETB.
- The level of service you can expect when availing of Kerry ETB services.
- How your input can contribute to the improvement of our services.
The level of service you can expect when contacting or visiting Kerry ETB
Whether you write, telephone, e-mail us or call to Kerry ETB in person, we will deal with your enquiry efficiently and promptly and treat you with courtesy and respect.
Written Contact
- Kerry ETB will acknowledge correspondence within 5 working days.
- Kerry ETB will issue a reply within 20 working days. If such a reply cannot be issued within this timeframe, then an interim reply will be issued, informing you that the matter is continuing to receive attention.
- Kerry ETB will ensure replies carry details of the contact person and contact telephone number.
- Kerry ETB will ensure that replies will be in clear, simple language, free from jargon and technical terms as far as possible.
E-mail Contact
- Kerry ETB will ensure that all emails will be acknowledged in accordance with our Email Communication Policy.
Telephone Calls
- Kerry ETB will provide a courteous, helpful, friendly and prompt answering service.
- Kerry ETB reception staff are available to answer telephone calls during office hours.
Visiting the Office
- Kerry ETB will provide clean, accessible public offices, comply with occupational and safety standards and, as part of this, facilitate access for people with disabilities and others with specific needs.
The level of service you can expect when availing of Kerry ETB services
We recognise that different groups of customers will have different priorities when availing of our services and therefore may require specific commitments regarding service levels.
Customers with Disabilities
- Kerry ETB will ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are identified and catered for. Kerry ETB will make every effort to ensure that access to all areas of our buildings and to all of our services is maintained for people with disabilities and others with specific needs.
Suppliers
- We will ensure that payments to suppliers are made in accordance with applicable Prompt Payment legislation and regulations.
Service through Irish
- Kerry ETB will respond in Irish to all written correspondence received in Irish
- Kerry ETB will respond to telephone calls within one working day by a member of staff who can deal with queries in Irish.
- We are committed to meeting our obligations under the Official Languages Act 2003.
Websites/Publications
- Kerry ETB are committed to the ongoing maintenance and development of our website to ensure that they are accessible, informative and up to date.
- Kerry ETB will continue the drive for simplification of rules, regulations, information leaflets and procedures.
- Kerry ETB will take a proactive approach in providing information that is clear, timely and accurate, is available at all points of contact and meets the requirements of people with specific needs.
Equality/Diversity
- Kerry ETB aims to carry out our services in an impartial manner in accordance with the equality legislation (under the grounds of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller Community).
- Kerry ETB will treat everyone with respect and dignity.
- Kerry ETB will identify and work to eliminate barriers that prevent accessing services. An example of this might be social and economic circumstances, and geographical barriers to services.
Better Co-Ordination
- Kerry ETB will foster a more coordinated and integrated approach to the delivery of public services.
Internal Customer
- Kerry ETB will ensure that staff members are recognised as internal customers and that they will be supported and consulted with regard to service delivery issues as appropriate.
How your input can contribute to the improvement of our services.
Customer Feedback
Kerry ETB is committed to improving our services. Please refer to our ‘Customer Feedback Form’ should you wish to suggest ways that we could improve our service. This form can be found on our website here.
Customer Complaints
Kerry ETB is committed to maintaining an accessible, transparent and simple-to-use system of dealing with complaints about the quality of service provided and ensuring that such complaints are dealt with in a consistent, fair and transparent manner.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received and if the issue cannot be resolved to your satisfaction with the staff member or section you have been engaged with, you can make a formal complaint to the Customer Service Officer (see contact details below).
How do you make a complaint?
Complaints can be made in writing. Please complete the Customer Complaint form which can be downloaded below.
Issues not covered by Customer Complaint
- Any complaint under the Leadership and Management Process.
- Refusal to enrol or expulsion of students under Section 29 of the 1998 Education Act.
- Complaints from parents of students (under 18) or students (over 18) against a member of Kerry ETB staff. These issues should be addressed under the “Code of Practice for Dealing with Complaints made by Parent/s, Guardian/s of a students or by a Student (who has reached the age of eighteen) currently enrolled in a school/centre, against a Staff member employed by Kerry Education and Training Board (ETB)” available from the relevant school or centre.
Kerry ETB commitments to dealing with Complaints
- Kerry ETB will acknowledge all complaints within 5 working days.
- Kerry ETB will consider all complaints and issue a reply to your complaint within 20 working days. Where this is not possible, we will send you an interim reply explaining the position and advising you when you will receive a substantive response.
- All complaints will be treated promptly, fairly and impartially.
- We will endeavour to learn from mistakes to ensure that errors are not repeated.
Appeal Process
If the complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction it may be referred for internal review by Kerry ETB. Requests should be sent, in writing, within ten working days of the date of the initial decision to Customer Service, Kerry ETB, Centrepoint, John Joe Sheehy Road, Tralee, Co. Kerry or customerservice@kerryetb.ie.
It is the policy of Kerry ETB that such internal reviews will be carried out by a more senior staff member than the person who investigated and responded to the initial complaint.
The Outcome of the request for review will issue within 20 working days. Where this is not possible, we will send an interim reply explaining the position and advising you when the outcome of your request will be received.
If the Complaint is still unresolved?
If, following the review, the complaint is still unresolved to the satisfaction of the complainant it may be referred by using the online ‘Make A Complaint’ on www.ombudsman.ie or in writing to the Office of the Ombudsman:
Office of the Ombudsman
18 Lower Leeson Street
Dublin 2
Telephone +353 1 639 5600
LoCall 1890 22 30 30
Fax 353 1 639 5674
Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie
