Concern for Welfare and Responding to a Crisis
The information on this page has been written specifically for members of staff – if you are not a member of staff and are concerned about a friend or loved one, please see our Worried About Someone page.
The information on this page has been written specifically for members of staff – if you are not a member of staff and are concerned about a friend or loved one, please see our Worried About Someone page.
As a staff member you may come across a student in crisis. A crisis refers to any situation whereby you are concerned about the immediate safety of a student.
It can be difficult for students to approach staff members for support, especially if experiencing any mental or emotional distress. When responding to a crisis, the overriding emphasis is to stay calm, listen to the student and act in an understanding and respectful manner. Do not underestimate the potential seriousness of a situation and seek appropriate support from a trained professional.
The below steps show how to respond appropriately dependant on the level of severity of the crisis.
Concern for welfare
As a Personal Tutor or member of staff, you may first to come across an individual in distress or a crisis situation. When faced with a crisis it is important to stay calm, listen and adopt a non-threatening and non-judgemental approach. If you are faced with a crisis, the steps below will guide you through the steps to take. You can also see this information on our Concern For Welfare chart.
The overriding emphasis is to stay calm and act in an understanding and respectful manner. Do not underestimate the potential seriousness of a situation and seek appropriate support from a trained professional.
Urgent
- The situation is critical or urgent and requires an immediate response.
- There is immediate danger to the student or others i.e. the student is being violent or has made a suicide attempt.
Response:
- Call 999 – request an ambulance and/or police.
- Inform University Security of the current situation and actions taken, and the Student Wellbeing Centre as soon as possible.
Low risk
- There is no danger to the individual or others, but the person is experiencing work, academic or financial related issues.
Response:
- Listen to the individual’s concerns and encourage them to seek support. Offer practical advice where appropriate.
- See Service information for contacts and external resources.
- Provide the student with information about the Student Wellbeing Centre.
- Encourage the student to attend a First Contact Appointment. More information about our First Contact Appointments and access to the contact form is available by clicking here.
Concern for Welfare
You are unsure if there is any immediate crisis, but are concerned there is a change in the individual’s behaviour, attendance, engagement with their studies and/or their mental wellbeing or physical wellbeing. Others, maybe friends or tutors, are voicing concerns about an individual.
Response:
If out of hours, encourage/support student to contact GP or NHS 111 and/or support them to identify who they would talk to, this could be a family member, close friend or professional.
Contact the Student Wellbeing Centre during working hours, quoting a ‘concern for welfare’ if appropriate, support the student to access the Student Wellbeing Centre and provide them with Student Wellbeing Centre information.
Useful links
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Sexual misconduct support
Access confidential support and guidance for students affected by sexual misconduct at the University of Lincoln, including information on reporting…
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10 pointers for supporting students in distress
This article provides staff and peers with 10 essential pointers for effectively responding to and supporting students who are in…
Prevent
Prevent is about safeguarding our students to keep them both safe and within the law.
The University has a legal duty to respond to any concerns raised by the disclosures or actions of students which could suggest that they have been influenced by extremist ideologies and radicalised, including where students may be thinking about taking action based on those influences. To enable the University to comply with its legal duties, if you have any concerns that a student may be in the process of being drawn into terrorism or may be vulnerable to radicalisation, you should promptly report your concerns, as you would with any other Safeguarding issue.
You should follow our Concern for Welfare procedure above to report any concerns about students.
You can also find further information and advice on safe campus communities.
Contact information
For general advice and guidance concerning a particular student or situation, please contact the Student Wellbeing Centre.It can be helpful to consider contacting the Student Wellbeing Centre as early as convenient, to prevent any escalation and so that appropriate support can be identified as early as possible.
Student Wellbeing Centre
- Tel: 01522 886400
- Email: studentwellbeing@lincoln.ac.uk
Security
Tel: 01522 886062
If you are concerned about a student due to non-attendance or low attendance, however no additional risks or concerns have been identified, please follow the guidance stated within the Attendance Monitoring Procedure. Student Engagement and Participation Policy
Contact Student Services
Contact numbers, opening times and support links. If you’re in urgent need of assistance please go to Crisis Support.