1. Purpose and scope
This Policy protects the impartiality of GCSB standards, accreditation, assessment, credentials, Trustmark Awards and research. It applies to every GCSB office holder and professional body, including dealings with providers connected through ownership, control, employment, professional or family relationships.
2. Separation of functions
GCSB governs standards and credentials; it does not provide training, consulting or commercial audits. Providers may deliver services and submit evidence. Providing services, holding a licence or paying a fee gives no authority to confer a GCSB credential or Trustmark Award and no entitlement to a favourable decision.
The company's legal directors oversee corporate administration and statutory responsibilities. The Governing Council sets professional strategy and delegates professional decisions under GCSB-POL-001. Corporate authority cannot substitute for independent assessment, award, appeal or editorial judgement.
3. Declarations and screening
Before considering a provider, agreement, candidate or award, participants declare relevant interests under GCSB-POL-003. The Registrar maintains a confidential interests record and records the screening outcome. Public disclosures describe relevant conflicts and safeguards without exposing private financial or contractual details.
4. Independent approval
- A related-party provider arrangement, licence or accreditation requires documented review and approval by eligible, unconflicted GCSB decision-makers before GCSB grants professional recognition or authorisation. Any legally required corporate approval is separate.
- A connected office holder takes no part in selecting the decision-makers, deliberating, approving or voting on the affected matter.
- Connected and unrelated providers and candidates are evaluated against the same published criteria and evidence requirements. Preferential access, criteria and outcomes are prohibited.
- Final assessment outcomes, credentials and Trustmark Awards are decided by the designated independent GCSB body. Delivery staff and providers may supply evidence but cannot make the final decision on their own or connected work.
- Appeals are heard by independent panellists who took no part in the original decision. Founder offices and corporate control create no personal final-appeal power.
5. Commercial and editorial separation
Licensing, provider relationships and commercial considerations must not determine standards, candidate outcomes, awards or publication decisions. Editors decide individual manuscripts independently under GCSB-POL-006. Authors and connected persons do not handle, review or decide their own or connected submissions.
6. Insufficient independent capacity
If eligible independent decision-makers are unavailable, the affected approval, award, appeal or editorial decision is deferred. The Registrar records the reason and informs the affected party. Independent appointments follow the published appointment and conflict procedures; a conflicted office holder may not fill the gap or override the deferral.
7. Records and oversight
Each affected decision records interests, recusals, eligible decision-makers, criteria, evidence, reasons and outcome. Records are restricted to authorised personnel. The Audit & Risk Committee reviews these controls; breaches are referred to the independent Ethics, Conduct & Appeals Committee. Where these bodies are not yet constituted, the matter remains pending independent review.
8. Document control
Policy authority: Governing Council. Effective date: 13 October 2026. Version 1.0 introduces related-party screening, independent approval and deferral safeguards. Review at least annually and whenever governance arrangements change. This Policy supplements GCSB-POL-001 and GCSB-POL-003; it grants no exemption from statutory duties or published credential standards.
9. Policy control
- Approval authority: Governing Council.
- Revision history: version 1.0 (13 October 2026) first issue; version 1.1 adds this Policy control section.
- Review date: reviewed at least once a year; next review no later than 13 October 2027, and whenever governance arrangements change.
- Precedence: subordinate to the Governance Charter (GCSB-POL-001). This Policy supplements GCSB-POL-001 and GCSB-POL-003; where they overlap, the stricter safeguard applies. It grants no exemption from statutory duties or published credential standards.