Student Wellbeing Adviser

As a member of SHWS, you will report to the Student Wellbeing Adviser Team Manager, under the day-to-day direction of School colleagues. You will work collaboratively with central SHWS colleagues (e.g. Disability Practitioners, Wellbeing Consultancy, Counsellors) and a wide range of School colleagues (e.g. the Director of Education, Senior and Personal Tutors, Degree Programme Directors and Professional Support colleagues), to provide a local, comprehensive and professional point of contact for both incoming and registered students who need advice and assistance with health and wellbeing concerns, either from transition to higher education or during progression through study.

As a Student Wellbeing Adviser, you will act as an initial point of contact for students and colleagues within your designated School and as such will play a vital role in connecting central Student Health and Wellbeing Services with the wider University community.

You will offer confidential support and signposting for students experiencing any wellbeing related issue, and, when appropriate, a 'follow-up' service to ensure suitable support and advice is being provided and acted upon, ensuring that students have the optimum opportunity to fulfil their potential and gain the best experience from their time at university.

You will also offer guidance to School based colleagues on matters relating to student wellbeing and you will collaborate closely with colleagues to deliver proactive activities and events to support students with improving and maintaining their wellbeing., Please note we have two positions available. One full time (37 hours) position to start asap, and one part-time position (29.6 hours) position to start on 1st August 2024.

A Disclosure and Barring Service Check is needed for this role., In line with University and School support protocols, act as a point of contact within the School for students requiring wellbeing support. Provide information, guidance and support to all students, referring them to the most appropriate source of help (both internally and outside of the University). Where appropriate, monitor engagement with referral and sign posting advice
Work closely with relevant School colleagues to ensure that all students receive the help they need at any point on their student journey
Act as champion for minoritised and/or potentially vulnerable students, (e.g., disabled students, those from a widening participation background, minoritised ethnic backgrounds, young carers, LGBTQ+ etc.)
Work operationally with colleagues to ensure inclusivity for students with additional support needs. Where a student has a Student Support Plan provided by SHWS and changes are needed to this, provide support by facilitating any necessary communication with central SHWS
Support Personal and Senior Tutors in ensuring the delivery of a high-quality system of personal tutoring - in accordance with the Personal Tutoring system across the academic unit
Support colleague wellbeing leads in the identification of school-based colleague training needs relevant to student health and wellbeing and encourage all colleagues, including personal tutors within the academic units, to attend appropriate training events and workshops
Maintain and improve operational efficiency and quality of service of own area via input to procedures and the application of process improvements
Identify and regularly report on trends in student need to the Student Wellbeing Adviser Team Manager and School colleagues in order to inform and develop ongoing effective support for students across the University
Contribute to the co-ordination and/ or delivery of wellbeing related projects both in School and across the wider University community (e.g., peer mentoring schemes, weekend open days, induction events, information drop-ins, University Mental Health Day etc)
Under the direction of the Student Wellbeing Adviser Team Manager, support students progressing through the Support to Study and Fitness to Study processes
Attend and support the PEC Committees in their decision making, by providing student wellbeing advice and knowledge. Provide information, advice and guidance on how wellbeing may impact upon academic study
Use individual available student data, such areas as PEC submissions, notifications of absences, late submissions of work and overall student engagement with their studies, in order to identify and intervene to support students before concerns escalate
Under the direction of School colleagues, support the review and improvement of policies and practices relevant to student wellbeing
Attend regular relevant committees which gather student opinion e.g., Staff Student Committees, Boards of Studies. Reading minutes from such meetings and ensuring any actions related to student wellbeing are cohesive and carried out in consultation with the Student Wellbeing Adviser Team Manager
To attend regular Disability Service meetings to inform best practice, key SHWS developments and School-related initiatives
To undertake any other projects, activities or tasks commensurate with the grade, as identified by the Student Wellbeing Adviser Team Manager and relevant School colleagues

Evidence of relevant professional training and / or experience e.g., Higher Education Provider student support experience, physical and mental health disability support in a higher education setting, university student advice and guidance, welfare, social work, pastoral care
Experience of working with adults from a diverse background, with mental or physical health disabilities, preferably in a higher education setting
Demonstrable understanding of how intersectional elements of a student affect their access to and engagement with mental health support
Experience of working/responding independently, using high levels of personal initiative to deal with unforeseen problems, in often stressful and difficult situations
Ability to disseminate information effectively via a range of media, including speaking to large groups of colleague or students
Excellent literacy and report writing skills and the ability to write clearly and concisely
Ability to manage multiple caseloads and maintain GDPR compliant records
Excellent team working skills
Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion, whilst understanding the parameters within which such rules must be overturned
Desirable
Up to date working knowledge of local and national support services, current legislation and guidelines around disability, equality, diversity and inclusion issues, and an understanding of how disability impacts on the student experience

Attributes and Behaviour
Calm approach to difficult and distressing situations
Positive, solution focused, proactive can-do attitude, to support activities across all the SHWS teams when needed
Strong commitment to continually updating knowledge, skills, and experience to provide the best service to students and colleagues
Creates an environment of trust and respect in which students and colleagues can say what they need to without fear
Understands and values the perspectives of key stakeholder groups - student union, students and parents, academics and professional service colleagues, health professionals and managers
Acts with an in depth understanding of equality, diversity, and inclusivity
Stays aware of student issues and keeps an active 'ear open' for issues before they escalate, Undergraduate degree or equivalent level qualification plus experience in a similar role or significant vocational experience, demonstrating development through progressively more demanding, relevant roles

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you., Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.