Advice & Wellbeing Service (AWS)

The College’s Advice and Wellbeing Officers (AWO) are available throughout the week from 9 am to 6 pm and during College vacations.

We can support you with a number of issues, including emotional difficulties, relationships, personal and family challenges, loneliness and isolation, mental health, learning differences such as dyslexia/dyspraxia/ADHD, other disabilities/long-term medical conditions, and anything else affecting your studies.

Your queries will always be treated sensitively and confidentially.

AWS offers appointments via email, phone, in person or virtually via Zoom. Students can access AWS by booking an appointment on the VLE (Moodle) or emailing f.nouri@dghe.ac.uk.

Once your request is received, we will contact you via email, telephone, or Zoom and undertake an initial conversation to determine a suitable plan of advice/support. If appropriate and subject to availability, we may offer an in-person appointment on campus in a Covid-secure environment – this will be discussed during your virtual assessment if required.

Information about Learning Differences (e.g. dyslexia/dyspraxia) and Student Money Matters can be found under the Disability and Additional Funding sections of the website.

You can keep up to date with any changes to the college services during this time on the Coronavirus Advice and Guidance Page.

Who we are:

• Ms Fiona Nouri, Head of Student Experience & Wellbeing: f.nouri@dghe.ac.uk
• Mrs. Sima Sanders, Registrar & Head of Student Finances: s.sanders@dghe.ac.uk

Additional Support within DGHE:
Other services supporting students during their studies include Study Skills, professional Careers Guidance, JobTeaser, Student Services and Library Resources.

• AWS abides by all the College policies and terms set out in your Student Handbook, available on the VLE.
• We will treat you sensitively and with respect, and we expect the same in return.
• Students can seek advice from any member of the Services staff in the knowledge that any information you give will be treated confidentially and only shared outside of AWS with your consent.
• Disability/Learning Differences: AWS may need to share your information with other University staff and external bodies to make reasonable adjustments and support you effectively. AWS will ask for your consent to use and share your information in this way. This is explained in more detail on the DGHE’s Privacy Notice webpage.
• AWS staff may inform your Senior Tutor and/or School Programme manager, as appropriate, that you are accessing support without giving further details of your circumstances. This is to help coordinate with your school, but you can ask that this information is not shared.
• There may be instances where a student could benefit from sharing more detailed information with a Senior Tutor and/or other members of staff. If this were thought to be necessary, we would discuss with you what was felt appropriate to share and seek your agreement in advance. The information would only ever be shared with legitimate reason, on justifiable grounds, and in accordance with the College policies.
• AWS routinely works with external professionals such as local NHS healthcare providers and the police, as well as any collaborating University. The same general principles of sharing information apply; students will be asked in advance to provide their agreement to discuss with external professionals.
• If a member of AWS staff takes the view that a student is at risk of harming themselves or others, they are obliged under their duty of care to override confidentiality. There also may be circumstances where the law requires disclosure for the prevention and detection of terrorism or where non-disclosure is likely to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime.
  The College’s ‘opt-in’ gives consent for DGHE to inform your Emergency Contact when serious concerns about your wellbeing occur. Requests for information from all third parties, including parents, other family members, or friends, will be refused unless the student has given explicit consent in advance and this is formally recorded.
• All personal information is collected, stored, and managed in accordance with the College’s Privacy Notice and associated guidance. We comply fully with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements and the UK Data Protection Act 2018. Records will be kept and stored securely and only accessed by relevant staff when required.
• AWS may use centrally shared university data systems to collect and manage data such as student name, ID, address and contact information, course details, registration status, and identity, and which services students are being supported by. Some of these shared systems also contain sensitive details, but all professional services staff are only allowed to access information if they have a legitimate reason to do so.
• Under data protection legislation, students have the right to request copies of the records held which relate to them.
• If you have any questions or concerns about how your data is collected, stored, and managed, please contact a member of staff, and we would be happy to discuss this further.

Student Services consists of services that work together to support students: Administrative functions, AWS, Careers, Study Skills, and other functions. This includes the Heads of Student Services, Admissions, Heads of Department, Programme Managers and Academics. AWS works in partnership with your Senior Tutor and others, for example, NHS and other outside services as needed, to ensure your support is effectively coordinated.

Our core values include treating individuals with dignity and respect and handling any information you share with us sensitively and confidentially.