Guidance on Communicating with Student Trusted Contacts

Guidance on Communicating with Student Trusted Contacts

On some occasions, it is appropriate to contact a student’s trusted contact if you have exhausted attempts to contact the student, or in an emergency where there is an urgent risk to the student’s immediate health or safety. You must make sure that you have considered whether the situation warrants this, and have sought the appropriate authority to make contact from a designated ‘Authoriser’, as listed in the guidance below.

As of January 2024:

Student_Trusted_Contacts,_Guidance_on_When_to_Contact.pdf

If you cannot confirm the student’s safety, in addition to attempting to contact the trusted contact, the University should pass on the student’s details to Emergency Services via 999.

If the University becomes aware that a student is unwell, causing us to have concerns for their welfare, it may, where it regards it as appropriate, seek to engage with third parties to address those concerns as set out in the guidance above. The NHS and other statutory agencies are responsible for the provision of care to our students. It is expected that students who are unwell will engage with these agencies according to their needs. The University, as a provider of higher education, is not the appropriate agency and does not have the expertise or capacity to closely monitor students’ mental or physical health, nor to provide health care.

In non-emergency situations, proactive attempts must be made to engage with the student using all available and reasonable methods of communication, prior to contacting an trusted contact. Setting clear deadlines for the student to respond is essential in this situation. Suggested timescales and template email communications are provided within the guidance to assist with this.