Hours Full time
Contract Basis : Permanent
Location : Student Services, Craighall Campus, QMU
Role Purpose
Student Wellbeing is one of a range of professional support services within Student Services. In addition to student wellbeing, services offered include careers and employability, counselling, the disability service and student funding advice.
The Wellbeing Adviser's main role is to provide wellbeing services to students, specifically providing wellbeing support, promoting wellbeing and fostering building up resilience among students. This includes providing mental health mentoring to students, including to disabled students.
To fulfil the Student Services duties in regard of the main aim of the Attendance Monitoring Policy, namely 'To aid the retention of students by allowing early identification of those students at risk and allow timely interventions to be made in terms of academic and personal support'.
To manage the Stay-on-Course Programme, which provides rapid support to students identified as needing help/support through the Attendance Monitoring Project, Thinking of leaving Project and/or referred by PATs or other staff.
The Wellbeing Adviser works closely with the other student support services in the university, including the Students' Union.
The Wellbeing Adviser has a role in advising the Head of Student Services on wellbeing policy and promotion.
The role has considerable autonomy and requires excellent organisational skills as well as the ability to self-sustain.
Main Duties / Responsibilities
The Wellbeing Adviser will be expected to:
*Manage the Stay-on-Course Programme
*Provide mental health mentoring, including to disabled students
*Promote the Stay-on-Course Programme to students and liaise with QMUSU in this regard
*Supervise the Student Services Receptionist regarding booking appointments for students referred to the Stay-on-course
*Co-ordinate referrals made from Stay-on-course to other Student Services Units, QMU departments or external services providers such as GP Surgeries
*Promote physical and mental wellbeing and facilitate building up resilience and healthy living among students. Provide advice on help and support for mental health issues
*Keep confidential records in accordance with the Data Protection Act and QMU regulations. Ensure accurate statistics are maintained. Compile annual reports for the Head of Student Services
* Work closely with other student support services according to Student Services policies, to ensure the delivery of integrated support for students
*Work with and advise University staff on how to support vulnerable students and students causing concern
*Liaise with AMP Managing Team and Thinking of Leaving Team to ensure information generated by these services is received and promptly acted upon
*Liaise with School Boards, Programme Leaders and PATs to advise on individual student cases
*Keep the Wellbeing pages of the Student Services website up-to-date with excellent self-help resources; collaborate with the Student Counselling and Learning Resource Centre in this regard
*Keep abreast of current research and practice in the field of student wellbeing, particularly developments and trends in the higher education sector. Maintain personal and professional development to meet the needs for further developing of the service and the changing demands of the post; participate in appropriate training activities
*Carry out these duties in a manner that promotes equality of opportunity and supports diversity and inclusion, and takes into account the University's commitment to environmentally sustainable ways of working
Person Specification - Essential
EDUCATION/TRAINING
Honours Degree or the equivalent professional experience in the areas of Occupational Therapy, Social work, Registered mental health nurse, or equivalent psychological therapies qualification
Trained in suicide prevention/intervention (such as ASIST), mental health first aid or similar (such as SMHFA)
EXPERIENCE
Demonstrable experience of supporting students/people with mental health issues individually and in groups
Ability to assess clinical risk and determine appropriate action (to include ability to know when to refer students to other agencies)
Awareness of disability issues, in particular mental health issues and autistic spectrum disorders, and their potential impact on academic study
Experience in mentoring in regard of mental health and wellbeing
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge and understanding of the HE support system
Knowledge of help and support available to students for mental health issues
Knowledge of Microsoft Office, including MS Word, MS Excel and Outlook
SKILLS/ABILITIES
Excellent administrative, organisational, record keeping and case management skills
Excellent communication skills, oral and written
Ability to work autonomously, plan, organise and prioritise a full workload
Able to work efficiently and effectively both independently and as part of a team
Ability to maintain boundaries and work calmly under pressure
Ability to use initiative and take independent decisions to ensure prompt and timely resolution of student issues
Ability to demonstrate good listening skills and to show empathy with students
Able to work flexibly and create good working relationships throughout the institution
Person Specification - Desirable
Suitable postgraduate qualification (preferably in the area of mentoring/life-coaching, counselling etc.) or appropriate sector experience
Experience of working in a HE environment
Experience in managing projects
Experience of working with severe and enduring mental health problems
Knowledge of the Equality Act
Knowledge of HE data systems, e.g. SITS
Understanding of the issues affecting students from a wide range of diverse backgrounds and cultures
Ability to contribute to policy development, development of training material, and on-line resources
Comfortable working in a multi-professional team with a shared confidentiality policy