First Thing’s First

The question most often posed by staff regarding student wellbeing; how far do my responsibilities go?

With a whole university approach to wellbeing, all staff who have regular contact with students have a level of responsibility to ensure their safety and wellbeing. This booklet is designed to help when situations arise which require staff to provide a level of pastoral care, however it should be noted that there most definitely is a cut-off point - the sooner you can get students to the relevant staff when there is a concern, the better.

There are a number of solutions that can help support a student, not just counselling. This guide can be used to help determine what that solution might be in accordance with the situation. Counselling may be helpful, but it might not be the right time, or other action might more urgently need to be taken.

Student anxiety and depression is often caused by the pressures they face from their academic work, which cannot be solved through counselling. Counselling is only necessary for long-term, acute mental health conditions and trauma. Other types of therapy may also be helpful depending on the issue.

To many, this would seem obvious, but it is becoming more and more apparent that people do not understand what counselling is and what they need to better their mental state. Instead, the answer may be time management training, organisational skills, talking therapies, or simply a discussion with someone can help students flourish and perform at their best.

A useful resource to look at is also the ‘When to Refer’ guide created by FX Plus.

FOR WELLBEING CONCERNS

The first point of contact should be the Compass desk on either campus. Staff will be able to direct the student from there. There is also the option of the Compass Online as an access point for students.

FOR ACADEMIC CONCERNS

Explain to the student about the ASK service. Many do not realise the extent to which the ASK team can assist with academic work. One-to-one tutorials can be booked online, or there are focused sessions dedicated to a particular academic area.

If DSA is in place, and the student has been allocated study skills support, are they accessing their study skills tutor? It the student is unsure of how to do this, then they should contact the Accessibility team.

IN CRISIS

A student in crisis should be treated like any other member of the public. If there is a concern for their life, or the lives of others, an ambulance should be called immediately. It may also be considered appropriate to contact Living Support, who will send a trained member of staff to deal with the situation.