University Calendar for Postgraduate Students 2012/13 - Queen's ...

Policies and Procedures 99
of difficulties a student may be facing, and can facilitate
appropriate actions being taken.
If a member of staff has a concern about a student, he/
she will in the first instance discuss with the Head of Student
Welfare, or other appropriate member of the Student Care
Forum. This person may decide to take the case on and
manage it independent of the Protocol. However if the
Student Care Forum member concludes that it is in the best
interests of the student to have the case monitored through
the Protocol, the permission of the student will be sought.
It should be explained to the student the benefits of being
supported by the Student Care Protocol and that any records
are kept confidentially in line with the University’s Record
Management Policy.
If permission is withheld, it will be explained to the student
that this will limit the University’s ability to support them.
Should a student withhold their permission but it is felt by
the Student Care Forum, including the University Medical
Officer, that there remains a significant risk to the student or
others, they will be put on the Protocol and remain on there
until the risk has been managed to acceptable levels.
The Student Care Forum will meet fortnightly during term
time to discuss students being monitored by the group.
Members of the group will be given the opportunity to bring
anonymous cases to the group for peer discussion. If, based
on the facts, it is agreed the students permission should be
sought to allow the group to monitor the case, this will be
actioned by the member of staff bringing the case to the
group (see Student Email Template, Appendix A).
If there is a situation where staff feel there is an immediate
risk to the student or others, student incident procedures
should be engaged. This process is set out in the University’s
incident procedures, but is replicated in Appendix B,
along with practical advice for staff handling the immediate
situation and making referrals to sources of student support
(Appendix C).
a requirement to report regularly to the Head of Student
Welfare (while the concern is active, and less regularly once
it has been managed) and a requirement to establish future
points of contact with a student.
Members of staff undertaking such monitoring may wish
to record their points of contact in a Student Care form
(Appendix D). The most important elements of this are:
• It is signed by or emailed to the student, to represent
an agreed set of actions / notes.
• That there is a means of ongoing contact/monitoring
established and recorded
• That students are aware that you will be keeping in
touch with them to check how they are getting on
• That information about a student is deleted when it is
no longer needed.
If seeking the student’s permission to discuss the student’s
situation with the Student Care Forum / a member of the
Forum, a Declaration of Understanding and Consent is
included in Appendix D. This statement also ensures the
student is aware of implications of not giving consent.
When consent is given, the Lead Contact will provide the
Head of Student Welfare with relevant information, actions
and points of contact. These will be monitored by the
Student Care Forum, in consultation with the student and
relevant staff.
The Student Care list is a way of bringing together
information held in different areas, with the intention of
identifying students experiencing substantial difficulties
before it becomes a risk situation. It is held confidentially,
only accessible by the Head of Student Affairs and Head
of Student Welfare, and is re-established on an annual
basis, with carry-over only if there is reason to believe that
there is an ongoing concern. A student’s name is removed
from the list and any historical lists upon graduation from
the University. Archived lists will be deleted in line with the
University’s record keeping protocols
6. Monitoring Concerns
All processes include a step that requires identification
of a person with responsibility for on-going monitoring,