Cause for concern policy

1. Aims of the policy

1.1 This policy aims to:

• raise awareness of how to recognise when a student is in difficulty;
• provide information about some common types of difficulty that students might experience;
• provide tools to decide how serious/urgent an issue is;
• identify appropriate internal and external sources of support to which students can be referred;
• give practical advice to help staff respond to situations effectively and with confidence;
• ensure that the University is exercising its duty of care to students;
• ensure that the University is meeting any statutory requirements (such as Safeguarding for FE students under 18 and the Prevent duty)

1.2 This policy is for all UWL staff who come into contact with students and not just those with formal responsibilities for pastoral care. Staff who encounter students in their day-to-day role can play an important part in supporting them. Sometimes, just listening and showing that you care about their situation is all that is needed to help. In more serious situations, being aware of the signs of problems could mean that you could help prevent the situation from escalating and becoming more complex by signposting the student to appropriate advice and encouraging them to seek support. Prompt action can also help to minimise the impact of the problem on other staff members, the student’s family and friends, and other students.

1.3 This policy should help staff by providing key information relating to different types of difficulty. In addition to this guide, advice can be sought from Student Services where necessary (Appendix E).

1.4 For FE students under the age of 18, staff should read this policy in conjunction with the University’s safeguarding vulnerable adults and children policy. The University has additional duties in relation to how we address student difficulties for this cohort of students, and we have additional responsibilities in terms of reporting abuse. Full details can be obtained on our Polices page. 

2. Why students might seek help

2.1 Most people will experience difficult times and challenges during their lives and being a student can be inherently unsettling or stressful. Any problems experienced by a student can be exacerbated by university life (e.g. being away from the usual support network, experiencing new challenges which they do not know how to tackle, worrying about the impact of an issue on their ability to meet course deadlines). Such difficulties can have a significant impact on their ability to make academic progress and to achieve their potential. Students may also be more vulnerable to outside influences that could have a negative impact on their lives, such as drink, drugs or other pressures.

3. When to report concerns

3.1 If you have identified a student you are concerned about or think needs help, you need to evaluate whether these concerns are urgent or non-urgent. Please see ‘Student in Distress’ flowchart see Appendix A. You may also wish to seek advice from a member of the Student Services team (Appendix G).

3.2 Where there are significant concerns, such as substance abuse, self-harm, students being coerced into a forced marriage or domestic abuse (see Appendix D) you should report these to Student Services. For students under 18 these should be reported using the safeguarding policy and procedures. Full details are obtained on our Polices page.

3.3 Any concerns about radicalisation should be reported to the University Secretary under the procedures set out in Appendices B and F.

4. The University’s role in supporting students

4.1 The University’s aim is to ensure that students who need it receive an appropriate level of support to enable them to overcome obstacles to learning. Wherever possible, support should be delivered in a way that respects the students’ right to make decisions about their own lives, fostering their development by enabling them to develop confidence in their ability to choose appropriate courses of action.

4.2 It is important to remember that university employees do not have an in loco parentis role in relation to adult students. Students have a right to take decisions about their own lives, even if those decisions are not ones that we would take ourselves. We cannot for example alert a student’s family about a situation without the student’s consent as this would be a breach of the University’s data protection policy. We should, however, ensure that we provide students with clear and accurate information so that they are aware of what their options are.

4.3 It should be noted that Student Services can only work effectively with students who are willing to seek help and support. You should not take students to Student Services against their will or insist that they have to contact Student Services. It can be detrimental to students’ long-term wellbeing if support services are imposed on them. If they are not ready to engage then it can lead to them having a negative impression of the support services which could persist into the long-term. This could prevent them from seeking help in the future when they might need it.

5. Identifying difficulties

The student may report difficulties to you

5.1 Students may tell you personally that there is a problem, even if they do so in an indirect way (e.g. “Things are difficult right now,” “I’ve had a lot going on so I wasn’t able to concentrate on my assignment,” “Do you know if the university has funding available for people who need it?”).

5.2 Often, these sorts of phrases are used to see how you react, or because the student lacks the confidence to raise the issue directly. They may not know who to talk to, and if they are worried, they would be bothering you then asking indirectly can be a way of broaching the subject. If you listen and respond to them then they know that you have chosen to engage in what they are asking, rather than that you are feeling pressurised into it.

5.3 A calm and understanding reaction can help to reassure students that this is a normal situation which will not result in them being seen negatively. It can be helpful to use open questions to see if they are willing to tell you more, for example, “Is there anything I can help with?” or “It sounds like things are difficult for you at the moment, would it help you to tell me a bit about it?” The information below includes some excellent guidance on having conversations with people about problems they’re experiencing, which is recommended reading for anyone who has regular contact with students in the course of their role.

Other ways of identifying students who may be in difficulty

5.4 In many cases, staff become aware of students in difficulty through being observant and noticing signs that students could be going through a tough patch. Examples of factors which could indicate an underlying issue are:

• The student’s friends or classmates might tell you there is something wrong;
• Persistent or regular absence from classes, and/or a failure to submit work;
• Persistent lateness to class, or disorganisation;
• Declining academic performance;
• Doing too much work – are they bombarding you with questions about the subject matter or spending all of their nights in the library? This could be a sign of anxiety about their academic abilities or they might be using study to distract themselves from an issue in their life that they cannot face addressing;
• Odd or unpredictable behaviour, including disruptive or withdrawn behaviour;
• Behaviour which indicates persistent sadness, lack of emotion, excess of emotion, irritability, tenseness or agitation;
• Lack of concentration and energy, constant fatigue;
• Inability to make decisions or to think logical issues through;
• Poor personal hygiene and/or unkempt appearance, particularly if this is out of character- have they lost or gained a lot of weight, are they dressing poorly, failing to brush their hair etc?
• Sudden change in appearance or behaviour;
• Smelling of alcohol or signs of taking drugs;
• Lack of friends, or having difficulties maintaining academic and social relationships;
• Visible bruising, cuts or scars.

5.5 If you are concerned about a particular student, perhaps because you have observed one or more of the above points, then the next stage is to decide how urgent or non-urgent and significant the difficulty is (see Appendix A). You might need to gather more information first, for example, it could be helpful to discreetly ask colleagues if they have noticed the same things as you. In many cases it is sensible to have an informal, private conversation with the student to let them know what you have noticed, and to ask them if they need any support. You can also seek advice from your Head of School or from Student Services. You should always document what you have done, particularly where the student does not wish to seek further help. See Appendix A or seek advice from a member of the Student Services team (Appendix G).

6. Procedures for an emergency situation

6.1 The situation is an emergency if:

• There is an imminent risk of suicide, i.e. the student is actively suicidal and has the intention to act on it, or has already acted on it (for example taking an overdose or cutting their wrists)
• You think that the student is likely to hurt other people, or there is a serious risk to their wellbeing
• If the student is clearly mentally or physically ill and needs urgent help
• If the student is very disturbed or aggressive to the extent that others feel threatened

6.2 Urgent action is needed, so if possible do not delay the situation by contacting Student Services or by taking the student to Student Services.

6.3 If the student will accept help and if it is appropriate, you could facilitate them making an emergency appointment with their GP or transport to an A&E department of a hospital. This might involve looking up the contact details for them and allowing them to use a telephone. This option would be appropriate if, for example, the student is experiencing suicidal thoughts and wants to act to prevent them getting worse.

6.4 If the student will not accept help, or if they are so ill that they would not be able to get themselves to a GP or to A&E, tell them that you think they need emergency help and that you are going to contact emergency services. It is best if the student consents to this, but you can call emergency services without their permission if you have concerns for their safety or that of other people.

6.5 Ring Security and request that they call 999 for police and/or ambulance services. Give clear information so that they can find you, such as your room location and your name, as well as a description of the situation. If the student is not consenting, inform security because ambulance staff will only normally attend to treat a conscious non-consenting person if there is a police presence.

6.6 If you are with the student, try to get them into a safe and quiet place if they are not already. If there are colleagues available, make sure that one of them is aware of where you are, and keep Security updated if you move location.

6.7 Stay with the student until emergency services arrive (unless it is dangerous to do so) and answer any questions that the emergency services have. The Data Protection Act permits the disclosure of sensitive personal information if it is in the ‘vital interests’ of the individual or another person (e.g. information that could prevent their death).

6.8 You do not need to accompany the student to the hospital or the police station, even if they ask you to.

6.9 Write down a factual account of what has happened. This does not need to be long and could be in note form, but it should include key information such as date, times, key details of the incident, whether other students were involved, and who has been made aware of it.

6.10 Make sure to write fact not opinion, or at least to make opinions clear. For example, instead of writing ‘she was rude and aggressive towards me’, which could be open to interpretation, write down what was said or what actions took place.

6.11 Send a copy of your notes to the Director of Student Services, who can follow up to see if any additional support is needed for the student or for other students who were involved.

6.12 Seek support for yourself, if you need it after the incident. This could be, for example, from your line manager, HR, or from the Employee Assistance Programme on 0800 030 5182.

7. Referring students where there are significant concerns

7.1 As outlined above, there may be students who present serious issues. You should always report serious issues such as mental health issues, substance abuse, or where there is evidence of a forced marriage or domestic abuse (see Appendix D) to Student Services. For these issues you should keep a record of what you are reporting and why and talk to Student Services. Student Services will be able to provide sources of support for the student.

7.2 Where you have concerns about radicalisation you should report these to the University Secretary as soon as possible. Guidance on radicalisation is set out in Appendix B.

7.3 If you have any concerns that a student may be being radicalised, drawn into extremism or terrorism, you should keep a careful record of what is prompting your concern. For example, if a student has used a series of phrases which have concerned you, it would be sensible to write them down to aid your memory so that, if a referral is required, you will be able to give accurate details. Note down dates and times where relevant. Concerns may also be raised regarding radicalisation by other students about a particular student’s social media activity. Again, this should be reported to the University Secretary.

7.4 Any concerns reported will be assessed by an experienced panel within the University and, if appropriate, referral will be made according to the information sharing protocol attached at Appendix F. Please note that it is your responsibility to report concerns, but it is not your responsibility to decide whether to refer a student to  local authorities. If in doubt, you should inform the University Secretary of your concerns.

8. Referring a student to sources of support

8.1 This section should be used if you feel:

• That the situation is urgent but not an emergency that requires emergency services, AND/OR
• You are support the student with an issue and you need to provide them with information and other forms of support with are available.

8.2 How to refer students to Student Services

8.3 In normal circumstances, it is best if you can simply give Student Services contact details (Appendix G) to the student, so that they can contact Student Services themselves. Students can also make an appointment via the UWL Student Hub. If you are worried about a student and you would like to know whether they have made contact with Student Services and accessed support, please ask the student to let you know directly. We are not able to tell you if a student is using our services unless we have explicit permission to do so.

8.4 If you are particularly worried about a student and they seem anxious about contacting us, you may wish to telephone Student Services while the student is with you. The frontline Student Welfare team will need to speak directly to the student themselves, but it can sometimes help if you make the initial call and then pass the telephone over to them. Alternatively, some students may like you to walk over to Student Services Service with them the first time. These options can be particularly useful if the student lacks the confidence, knowledge or language skills to explain to us what help they need

8.5 Alternatively, you may wish to email us or call us to let us know that you have referred a student to us, and what your concerns are. We will not be able to tell you if the student does contact us, but we can note their name and our frontline staff team will look out for their contact. If you want to know the outcome, please ask the student to let you know.

8.6 Please keep in mind that we can only work effectively with students if they are willing and open to seeking help and support. Please do not insist that students come and see us if they do not wish to, as we are not able to work with students who are not willingly engaging with us.

8.7 If you have any questions about how best to refer students to us, please contact Student Services (Appendix G).

9. Supporting the student to help themselves

9.1 This section should be used:

• If you are supporting a student who is experiencing a difficulty, which is not an urgent issue.

9.2 Remember that adult students are entitled to make their own decisions. Although you can offer options to students, you should not try to force your opinion. Even if you have experienced a very similar issue in your own life, everyone is different and will have different ways of coping. Telling a stressed person what you would do in their situation may only add an additional weight of expectation to the pressures that they are already experiencing. They may worry how they can justify to you that they do not want to take your advice.

9.3 Listen to the student in an empathetic way. Sometimes, just having someone who shows that they care can be enough to give the student strength to deal with the situation, and to prevent it from escalating.

9.4 Ask the student if they are already receiving support or if they have done in the past (for example, from their GP, mental health services, UWL counselling services, UWL financial advisers). If they have, it is sensible to explore whether they feel that they might benefit from further contact with those services. From September 2020 students can register and book appointments directly themselves with any of the Student Services teams via the online platform ‘Student Hub’.

9.5 Do be aware that, particularly if a student has experienced issues for a long time, they might not even realise that their experience is not the usual student experience. Signposting them to help that is available could make a significant difference.

9.6 Inform the student of the Report and Support platform available to them.  They can use this platform to report any incident where they have experienced or witnessed any form of microaggression, harassment, discrimination or hate, either anonymously or to get support from an adviser.

9.7 Do not panic if there are tears – this is a natural response to heightened emotions and does not necessarily indicate that a situation is out of control or an emergency. Reacting as if the crying is uncomfortable for you might make the student feel judged and as if they have embarrassed themselves. Just reassure them that it is okay to cry if they need to, and offer a tissue if you have one available. A few minutes silence will give them time to recover.

9.8 Do not feel you have to ‘fix’ the student’s life, or that things will be resolved after just one meeting. Difficult issues often take time to resolve, and some may never be resolved. Sometimes, the most that can be hoped for is that students will learn how to cope with the difficulties in their life.

9.9 Do not worry too much about ‘correct language’ in relation to matters such as disability or mental health. It is more important to have a conversation than to say nothing because you are afraid that you will use the wrong word. As a rule of thumb, if you speak in a respectful tone and reflect back any language that a student uses, you are unlikely to cause offence. If you are particularly worried, you could even tell the student that you are not familiar with the terminology and ask them to correct you if needed.

9.10 Be honest with the student. Avoid making promises that you cannot be sure you can deliver on, such as “Everything will be fine,” or “We’ll make sure you get your degree one way or the other.” Phrases such as, “I’m really sorry that things are so difficult right now, I’ll do what I can to help support you whilst things are so bad” can be useful.

9.11 Look after yourself. You cannot support anyone if you are burnt out. Do not support a student if you feel out of your depth. In this case, refer them to other appropriate avenues of support.

9.12 If you do offer support, set clear boundaries about what your role is, and do not be afraid to stick to them. For example, it is fine to say that you can offer support with assignment planning to help reduce any anxiety, whilst making it clear that you are not qualified to offer help with mental health conditions.

9.13 Do not offer support out of working hours or provide your home or mobile telephone numbers. This can confuse the student and lead to over-dependence rather than the development of coping skills. If you are worried about how a student will cope when you are unavailable, provide the contact details of a 24-hour support service such as Samaritans or Togetherall. (Appendix H).

9.14 If you offer ongoing support to the student, regularly stop to consider whether you are still the best person to do this or if you are getting out of your depth in relation to an escalating situation (possibly through discussion with a Student Services colleague). If you are getting out of your depth, refer the student to other avenues of support.

9.15 Keep brief notes of what support has been offered and when.

10. If a student will not accept help

10.1 Apart from in a situation requiring emergency services’ attendance, there is little that can be done without a student’s permission. We cannot force students to engage in medical treatment or emotional support, and indeed it could be a breach of the Equality Act 2010 to try to require this. There is an offence of discrimination by perception, in which people are disadvantaged because of a perception that they have a disability, so we should not require a student to undergo additional obligations on the suspicion that they have a mental or physical health problem.

10.2 If a student is not prepared to engage with help or talk to you about their problems, then, in general, that decision needs to be accepted. However, this does not prevent you from implementing university policies such as the disciplinary procedures or fitness to practise procedures if the student’s behaviour is disruptive to others or if it presents a risk to others.

10.3 If a student will not engage with you, it is good practice to document this (ideally in a short email to the student explaining what options are available to them for support in case they wish to take it up in the future). Depending on the situation, you may also find it helpful to contact your Head of Subject, Head of School or Director of Student Services for advice.

11. Student confidentiality and data protection

11.1 In all cases, staff must be mindful that when a student discloses a problem to you, it is normally on the basis of trust. Students may at times ask you to keep the matter confidential. Where this occurs, you may need to explain to the student that there are some things you will need to disclose to others, and ideally seek their consent to do so. Most members of staff do not have a professional duty to keep information confidential, and it is also accepted that with service teams (e.g. Counselling) there is a degree of disclosure that is appropriate between colleagues. What is vitally important is that a student’s private business should be treated with discretion, that any information is relayed on a “need to know” basis, and that any written/electronic records are kept appropriately, with due regard to the Data Protection Act.

11.2 While dialogue between colleagues is important, the Data Protection Act prohibits staff from disclosure of any information about registered students to third parties (including parents and sponsors) unless there is a potential life or death situation. Any queries about a student’s progress, state of mind etc, (and even simple queries about whether they are registered at UWL) should therefore be handled carefully and should not be answered without the student’s consent in writing.

11.3 The University’s data protection policy on our Policies page and Appendix F of this policy sets out guidance for staff on disclosure. Generally, personal information must not be disclosed unless it is in the ‘vital interests’ of that person. Advice can also be obtained from the University Secretary.

12. References and helpful resources

12.1 Below are some sources which may help you deal with individual situations. Appendix H also lists useful contact numbers of organisation to which students might  be referred.

Employee Assistance Programme

12.2 The Employee Assistance Programme (Health Assured) can offer independent, free and confidential assistance to members of staff at UWL. They can be contacted on 0800 030 5182 or through the Health Assured website.

Equality Act 2010

12.3 The Equality and Human Rights Commission (“EHRC”) has drawn up specific guidance for Higher Education institutions about the Equality Act 2010 and how it applies: Equality Act 2010 Technical Guidance on Further and Higher Education. It includes relevant examples and clear and straightforward explanations of each of the requirements. It can be downloaded for free from the EHRC website. 

Domestic Abuse Act 2021

12.4 The Government definition of domestic violence and abuse is: “Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality.”

The abuse can encompass, but is not limited to, psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional including so called ‘honour’ based violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM), stalking and harassment, digital and online abuse, spiritual abuse and abuse of pets.

Domestic Abuse Act 2021: overarching factsheet - GOV.UK

Having conversations with people about their difficulties, and avoiding pitfalls

12.5 Samaritans’ guidance on holding these sorts of conversations is available on their website.

12.6 They also have brief and straightforward guidance on active listening skills, which enable you to help people talk through their problems.

12.7 Student Minds have produced a guide called ‘Look After Your Mates’ which is aimed at helping students to support friends with mental health conditions. This may also be useful for staff who would like to develop basic listening and emotional support skills.

Mental health information

12.8 There is some excellent guidance on different mental health conditions, treatments and so on, available on the Mind website and on the Rethink website. 

12.9 The University offers mental health awareness training to all staff who would find this helpful. This is designed to introduce common mental health conditions and their presentations, in addition to equipping staff with the skills to feel confident in approaching and supporting students in these situations.

The University’s mental health policy provides detailed guidance on the supports available internally and procedures to follow when supporting a student experiencing specific mental health difficulties. 

Radicalisation/Extremism

12.10 Under Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, the University has to ensure it pays “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. Appendix B for guidance to staff on how to deal with potential radicalisation.

Safeguarding

12.11 The University’s safeguarding policy and procedure can be found on our Polices page, and must be referred to when dealing with difficulties experienced by students under the age of 18.