Purpose: The purpose of this document is to explain the standard of service you can expect from the Students’ Union Advice Service, and what we expect from students. It also outlines the limitations of the service, and circumstances where the service may be changed, or withdrawn.

 

Who can use the service?

Students currently studying at UWTSD, or a registered Collaborative Partner can contact the Students’ Union Advice Service.

Students who study at Collaborative Partners may be re-directed to the relevant Collaborative Partner department in the first instance.

Prospective students who have a confirmed offer at UWTSD can reach out to the Advice Service, but support may be restricted to providing general information and guidance, explaining processes, and available options, or signposting to other services.

Students who were withdrawn, left studies or graduated 18 months ago or longer may be signposted to other external support services.

Students who are on an Interruption of Studies are not entitled to access the Advice Service unless the query relates to returning to their studies.

 

The core values that define our Advice Service are Free, Independent and Confidential.  

• Free: We offer advice to all UWTSD students free of charge.       
• Independent: We are an independent organisation, separate from the University. The advice that we offer and the options that we put forward when discussing your case are based around your interests, not the University’s.    
• Confidential: We handle enquiries in the strictest of confidence, in line with our Privacy Notice, which you can read here. Nobody outside the Students’ Union Advice team has access to your enquiry. Your adviser may - in exceptional cases - wish to seek support from Head of Membership Services or the Chief Executive Officer. We will only discuss your case with the University or a third party if you give us explicit permission to do so (except in certain emergency situations, where we might be obliged to ‘breach confidentiality,’ as outlined below).   

 

We aim to offer a high standard of professional advice. To this end, we offer:

• A prompt service: We will aim to respond to your enquiry and follow-up e-mails within 3 working days. In addition to e-mail, we can set up appointments on Microsoft Teams or telephone to talk through your case, though there could be a longer wait for appointments during busy periods. 
• A supportive service: We will treat you with dignity and respect and will discuss your case with you in a non-judgemental manner. We will be honest with you about the options available to you, including where these options may differ from your personal preferences or wishes.   
• An equal, diverse, and inclusive service: In keeping both with the values of the Students’ Union and with our obligations under the Equality Act 2010, we will offer the standard of service outlined in our Advice: An Equal, Diverse and Inclusive Service statement. If there are any reasonable adjustments you may need when being advised, please let us know as soon as possible so we can decide how best to support.

 

What we expect from you 

• Keep in touch: If there are updates to your case, please let us know – the earlier you inform us, the better we can prepare for the ‘next step.’ Remember, because we are independent, we are not looped into any decisions around your case.
• Be upfront and proactive: It is up to you how much detail you choose to share with us. However, we can only advise you based on what you tell us – if there are details to your case that you have not told us, this could affect the extent of advice that we are able to offer. Bear in mind, many University processes have deadlines, so it is important that you engage with us as soon as possible, and consistently.
• Respect for our staff: We provide a compassionate service, and so we ask of you the same in return with respect to our staff. Any abusive behaviour may result in the service being withdrawn. 
• Stick to appointments: We know that ‘things happen’ and you may miss your appointment. However, if you cannot make your appointment, or expect to be late, please let us know as far in advance as possible. That way, we can do our best to rearrange or offer the time slot to another student who might be waiting.

 

In rare situations, we reserve the right to: 

• Ask you to confirm your identity – if, for example, we have not been able to establish that you are a UWTSD student based on the student number or contact details provided.  
• Change your adviser – if, for example, there is a ‘conflict of interest’ between your case and the case of another student that the adviser is supporting. In these situations, we follow our Advice: Conflict of Interest policy.
• Breach confidentiality – if, for example, we have very serious concerns about your (or somebody else’s) safety, we might need to contact the University or a professional service.  
• Withdraw service – if, for example, you repeatedly miss appointments without notification, behave abusively towards your adviser, or do not take positive steps towards resolving your case.  

Our aim is to empower you to take the decisions that are right for you.

 

Here are the services that we can usually offer:

• Information about University policies, procedures, and regulations. You can find this information on the Students’ Union website.  
• Advice on the possible consequences of different choices.
• Guidance on how you might approach the University to improve your chances of a successful outcome, based on what you have told us about your case.
• Suggestions on how you might improve your chances of a successful outcome. For instance, we might suggest how to improve your statement when completing a University form; which evidence you might wish to include; or how you might structure your argument in a University panel.  
• General information and guidance on housing queries. We cannot find housing for you, but we may be able to provide advice and support on your situation. You can find more information on housing here.
• Referral or signposting to other sources of support if we cannot provide you with a professional service in your case.  

 

In some situations, we might also offer to:

• Attend a University panel or meeting with you for support. However, we would not usually speak at this meeting.
• Contact University staff on your behalf. However, we would usually expect you to try to make contact first.  

 

We would not usually:

• Communicate through a third party without written and direct consent from you. Where students can, we expect direct contact with the service. In limited circumstances, we may send a neutral message to let students know of the support available if we have been contacted by a member of staff or an external organisation on their behalf.
• Take action or start a University process on your behalf.  
• Speak for you in a meeting.
• Complete a form or write a formal letter for you.
• Advise on matters that concern Students’ Union Bye Laws – for instance, if you wished to make a Complaint against a member of the Students’ Union officer or staff team.  

 

Complaints about the Advice Service

We aim to provide you with the best service we can. If you believe that the service that you have received from the Advice Service does not meet the standards in this Agreement, the first step is to have a chat with your adviser to see if you can resolve this issue. 

If you still feel dissatisfied, you have the right to follow the Complaints Procedure, as outlined in the Students’ Union Complaints and Disciplinary Procedures (Bye Law Section 12).   

These Procedures will investigate and consider whether the adviser met the standards in this Agreement, and the standards expected of Students’ Union staff in general. They will not consider complaints against the Advice Service if the reason for your complaint is simply that you are unhappy with the outcome of your case or the University’s decision on your case.

 

Feedback about the Advice Service

We recognise the importance of providing all students with a space to share any feedback about the service and support they have received. If you have feedback, you can provide it anonymously here: Students' Union Advice Service Feedback. Feedback is routinely used to develop and improve our advice service, as well as regular impact reporting.