Policy Development and Review Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline the requirements for the development, review, revision and approval of Alphacrucis University College's (AC) policies and procedures.

Scope

This policy applies to all policies which form part of the AC Policy and Procedures Manual (PPM)

Policy

Definitions

For the purpose of this policy, the following definitions apply:

•  
• Approval Body: The designated authority responsible for the formal approval of policies.
• Endorsement Body: A committee or executive member who provides formal endorsement of a policy draft before submission to an Approval Body for final approval.
• High Risk Policy: A policy deemed to have significant potential impact on AC’s compliance, operations, or reputation. High risk policies require approval by Council.
• Major Change: A substantive amendment to a policy that alters its scope, intent, or operational impact, and requires re-approval through the formal policy approval process.
• Minor Change: A non-substantive update to a policy or procedure, such as correction of grammar, formatting, or terminology, which does not alter the scope, intent or application of the policy.
• Plain English: Language that is clear, concise, and free of jargon, designed to be easily understood by all relevant stakeholders.
• Policy: A formal statement that outlines the principles, rules and processes adopted by AC to guide decisions and achieve quality outcomes pertaining to a particular aspect of the College.
• Policy Owner: The individual or designated role responsible for developing, reviewing, communicating, implementing and maintaining a specific policy and its associated procedures.
• Policy Review: A formal process to evaluate a policy’s continued relevance, accuracy, and effectiveness, typically conducted at least once every five years or as required.
• PPM (Policies and Procedures Manual): The official and central repository of all current and approved AC policies and procedures.
• Procedure: A set of defined steps or actions required to implement a policy. Procedures ensure consistent application of policy by detailing how specific activities are to be performed.
• Stakeholders: Individuals or groups who are affected by, or have a vested interest in, a policy and its implementation. This may include staff, students, partners, or external regulators.

 

Policy Statement

Principles for Effective Policy and Procedure Management

This policy outlines the requirements for the development and management of policies and procedures to ensure that they are:

1. written clearly and concisely, with well-reasoned content presented in plain English where possible;
2. limited in number to promote ease of use and reduce the burden of governance and review;
3. continuously monitored to ensure they achieve their intended outcomes;
4. adaptable to accommodate rapidly changing institutional, sector-specific, legislative, regulatory, and systems-related developments; and
5. effective, meaning they are well understood by users, consistently followed, and demonstrably meet their objectives.

Where appropriate, a policy may include a procedures section to define the specific processes, practices, or actions required to implement and comply with all or parts of the policy.

Policies and procedures of AC shall be reviewed on a regular basis, depending on the policy type and its scope. There must be no more than five years between policy reviews.

A policy owner has discretion to initiate review of a policy sooner than its next review date.

The Approval Body for a policy may request an earlier review where they consider this is needed to improve the policy’s effectiveness due to changing circumstances internally and/or externally.

Policies and procedures will continue in force until they are replaced or rescinded.

 

Policy Approval Bodies

Any new policy or major change to an existing policy requires the approval of an Approval Body before it can become a part of the PPM.  There are three Approval Bodies at AC:

1. Council
2. Academic Board
3. Executive

 

The appropriate Approval Body must be listed on each policy and will generally be determined using the following matrix:

	Academic Category	Management Category
Low or Medium Risk	Academic Board	Executive
High Risk	Council	Council

 

Policy Risk Rating

The risk rating of a policy is determined using the Risk Assessment Matrix found in the Risk Management Policy.

It is the responsibility of the Approval Body to determine the risk rating of a policy.

If a policy is deemed high risk, it will be referred to Council for approval.

 

Policy Amendments

Minor editorial updates that do not affect the title or substance of the policy do not need to go through usual approval procedures. These include correction of typographical or formatting errors or changes to key words and definitions.

Major policy changes must follow the usual policy and procedure approvals process.

 

Policy Version Control

Version numbering for all policy documents is as follows:

1. New, approved documents start at v1.0.
2. The approval date must be included in the policy title as follows: v1.0 YYYY.MM.DD
3. Increment of digit to the left of full stop, e.g. v1.0 to v2.0, indicates a major change approved by the Approval Body.
4. Increment of digit to the right of the full stop, e.g. v1.0 to v1.1, indicates an approved minor change, an editorial change, or no change following scheduled review.

 

Roles and Responsibilities

The following roles and responsibilities apply in relation to this policy:

•  
• Approval Bodies: Approval Bodies are responsible for approving new or revised policies in accordance with their delegated authority and the risk rating matrix; approving rescinding a policy document; and referring high-risk policies to Council as required.
• Endorsement Bodies: Endorsement Bodies are responsible for reviewing and providing formal endorsement of policy drafts and revisions prior to submission to the relevant Approval Body; and ensuring that feedback is documented and addressed.
• Policy Owners: Policy Owners are responsible for developing, reviewing and updating policies and procedures; ensuring stakeholder consultation is undertaken; communicating and, if necessary, providing training on new or revised policies; implementing policies, and ensuring alignment of related policies and procedures; and rescinding policy documents in accordance with the procedure outlined in this policy if necessary. As part of their ongoing monitoring responsibilities, policy owners also log and report any policy breaches or compliance issues to the endorsement body.
• President: The President has overall responsibility for ensuring the implementation and oversight of this policy; and is responsible for reviewing this policy as scheduled or as needed.
• Quality and Standards (Q&S) Team: The Q&S Team is responsible for publishing new or revised policies on the PPM; maintaining approved policy versions in SharePoint; ensuring compliance with formatting and version control requirements; and supporting policy lifecycle management and document control.
• Staff and Stakeholders: Staff and Stakeholders are responsible for complying with all applicable policies and procedures; and providing feedback during consultation periods as required.

Supporting guidelines

AC Guidelines for Writing Policies and Procedures

Responsible for implementation

President

Related legislation

Higher Education Standards Framework

National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Outcome Standards for Registered Training Organisations) Instrument 2025, National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Compliance Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations and Fit and Proper Person Requirements) Instrument 2025

ESOS Framework

Related documents

• Policies and Procedures Manual
• AC Guidelines for Writing Policies and Procedures

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Procedures

Approval Process for New and Existing Policies and Procedures

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