Parents and carers
Information for parents and carers about the support available to students at the University.
Information for parents and carers
Support available for students at the university
We understand that you want your child or young person to achieve their best and fulfil their potential at University which is why we are committed to providing a supportive and positive environment for all. The services outlined on our student support page are in place to support students should they face any challenges while they’re here.
The University also works closely with a number of local and statutory services where necessary and appropriate to provide a wider support network.
Student Services colleagues who facilitate many of our support services communicate closely with each other (within the bounds of confidentiality) to provide comprehensive and holistic support for students facing personal or academic difficulties.
Find out more about supporting your child or young person’s application to higher education.
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UK data protection legislation and university policy prohibit the disclosure of an individual’s information to a third party. This means that staff members at the university are unable to give any information about a student currently studying at the University to a third party. In this instance, a third party would include parents, carers, family members, friends etc. All universities in the UK follow similar guidelines and are bound by the same legislation.
Information that staff are not able to share includes a student’s academic progress, wellbeing, or attendance, for example. For this reason, we encourage parents and students to keep in regular contact regarding these and similar topics.
In certain exceptional circumstances and with the student’s written consent, we may communicate with a third party if the university deems it to be in the interests of those concerned.
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If you have concerns about your son or daughter, in the first instance you should encourage them to contact Student Services.
If you are concerned about the wellbeing of your child or young person, you can make contact with the university by calling our Student Centre on 01242 714444 or by email at [email protected].
We will take details of the student in question, contact them on your behalf to let them know that you have contacted us, and ask them to get in touch with you.
The onus will be on the student to contact the person who raised the original concern and staff will not generally get back in touch with them.
While staff cannot talk to you about your child or young person, they are able to listen to your concerns and give generic advice and information where appropriate.
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If an emergency takes place on campus, appropriate staff will contact next of kin (without the student’s permission), if it is deemed appropriate. This would normally be on the advice of emergency services.
When enrolling each academic year, every student is required to submit their trusted contact, which will be held within the student records system. As part of this process, students will be made aware that by sharing these contact details that they are agreeing to the University making contact with their nominated trusted contact when there is an emergency situation related to their personal wellbeing.
Students will be encouraged to inform the contact that they have been nominated, and that their details have been shared with the University. The University reserves the right to use the trusted contact without prior agreement when it is in the student’s vital interest to do so (i.e. preventing serious or lasting harm to the student or others and it has not been possible to obtain their consent).
Our Privacy Notice contains further information on how we use the data.
If you have any urgent concerns or need to speak to the University Security team out of hours, they can be reached via the Communications Control Room on: 07984 560 861.
Park campus security: 01242 714402 or 07801 183630
FCH campus security: 01242 714836 or 07736 692087
Oxstalls campus security: 01452 715231 or 07793 245 017
Pittville campus security: 01242 715 069 or 07473 128636
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The University takes the pastoral care of students very seriously, but it does not have parental responsibility and can only offer support if approached by the student. In cases where the student is thought to be at risk, appropriate action will be taken by those concerned. Please note that this is rare.
Study and wellbeing
We realise that falling behind academically can be worrying, and this can happen due to extenuating circumstances, for example becoming ill. It’s really important that students communicate with us about any problems around their health or academic progress, so that we can provide support at the earliest opportunity.
If you, as a parent or carer, become aware that there might be a problem, please encourage your son, daughter, partner or family member to speak to their personal tutor or the Student Centre as soon as possible.
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