Supporting you to support students

If a student is interested in having an appointment with one of the counsellors, please advise them to contact the Student Hub to make a Wellbeing appointment. You are also welcome to make an appointment on a student’s behalf if they don’t feel able to do so - please seek the student’s consent beforehand. See the ‘Wellbeing Appointments’ section for further information. 

If you are very concerned about a student, e.g., because they are very distressed (including expressing suicidal thoughts or feelings), and you think they need support from a counsellor or advisor in one of the student support services as soon as possible, please contact the Student Hub. Hub staff will then contact an appropriate member of staff, who will make a plan to talk with the student.

You can contact the Student Hub in several ways: 

•    In person, on campus 
•    WhatsApp - 0141 848 3998 
•    Student Hub Portal - hub.uws.ac.uk 
•    Email hub@uws.ac.uk 

If, however, you judge that the student needs urgent help from the emergency services because they are:

•    At risk of acting on suicidal intentions
•    At risk of self-harming to the extent of requiring immediate medical treatment
•    Very disorientated or out of touch with reality
•    Threatening violence to people or property

and the student is on campus, please contact Security immediately and request that they call for an ambulance to take the student to Accident & Emergency. If you think the student also presents a possible danger to their own safety, that of yourself or others you can ask Security to call the Police too.

Security phone numbers:
 • All campuses including London 0141 848 3333 (or extension 3333 from an internal phone)
 • Lanarkshire - for out of hours support you can also call 07734 003 967 

First Aid phone numbers:
 • All Scottish campuses - 0141 848 3333 (or ext. 3333)
 • London - Main reception 0141 848 3047 (also Import Building 07976 761 379, and Export Building 07442 818 775) 

You can also use the SafeZone app for contacting Security & First Aid.

SafeZone app: you can also use the app on all campuses, including London. If you press the Emergency, First Aid or Help button, the app will put you in touch with the most appropriate member of staff. (N.B. If you are of campus, the app will offer you a single-tap 999 call to UK emergency services.)

If the student is not on campus, please contact the emergency services directly by phoning 999.

For further guidance on how to support students in distress please refer to the document, ‘Procedures for Supporting Students in Distress’ which you will find here.

Health Assured offers UWS students a free, confidential advice line, with help available to talk through any problem, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The helpline is free and confidential, and any student requesting emotional support will be able to talk with a qualified counsellor. The phone number is 0800 028 3766. Students can also get video and instant messaging support by downloading the app Download the My Healthy Advantage app. 

If a student informs you that they have experienced inappropriate behaviour, such as gender-based violence, bullying and harassment, discrimination, hate crime and racism, they can report it anonymously or provide contact details and get support from a UWS Advisor.  
See https://reportandsupport.uws.ac.uk/ for further information.

We recommend adding information about sources of emotional support for students to your out-of-office message & email signature. This can be an invaluable way of ensuring that students have the necessary information for seeking help when you are not at work. It is also a good way of maintaining boundaries between your work life and home life.

Useful information to include:

FOR OUT-OF-HOURS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT – CONTACT UWS OUT-OF-HOURS STUDENT SUPPORT LINE ON 0800 028 3766  

  
For urgent support out of office hours, you can phone the Samaritans on 116 123, Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87, or NHS24 on 111. Alternatively, you can email the Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org, or text Shout to 85258. If your life is in imminent danger, please call 999. 

https://vimeo.com/338176393 
 
Report + Support             
If you have experienced inappropriate behaviour, such as gender-based violence, bullying and harassment, discrimination, hate crime and racism, you can report it anonymously or provide contact details and get support from a UWS Advisor.  See https://reportandsupport.uws.ac.uk/ for further information.

If you would like to learn more about supporting the mental wellbeing of students, you may wish to look at the following online training resources:

•    Charlie Waller Trust e-learning courses:
eLearning (charliewaller.org)

•    Zero suicide alliance training:
https://www.zerosuicidealliance.com/suicide-awareness-training-uni-students  

If you and your team are interested in training by the Counselling Service on supporting student mental wellbeing & the Procedures for Supporting Students in Distress, please contact the Student Hub in the first instance. 

If you are looking for advice in relation to your own wellbeing, please go to 
Employee Wellbeing Advice . There is a link to Health Assured, the University’s employee assistance programme.