Disability & Wellbeing ServiceEmergency & wellbeing contact guidance for staff

1. All students are required to provide details of an emergency contact who the University may contact in instances when it is in their vital interests to do so. As part of the 2021/22 registration process, students are also asked to provide additional details of a wellbeing contact who they consent to the University contacting in non-emergency situations but where there are serious concerns about a student’s wellbeing. The Emergency and Wellbeing Contact Procedure and Guidance outlines this process. Decisions to contact a student’s listed contacts will be made by two of the nominated senior Student Experience staff  (contact details below). This guidance provides additional assistance to staff on the implementation of this new process.

2. This guidance should be read in conjunction with:

3. Please note that this guidance replaces the guidelines on Supporting Students who have Disengaged with their Studies where there is a Cause for Concern.

Using Emergency &/or Wellbeing Contacts

4. There may be occasions when the University needs to make contact with a student’s listed emergency or wellbeing contact. Considering whether to do this can be relatively straightforward (for example in the case of a medical emergency) or it may be a relatively complex decision, for example, where students or staff have raised concerns about a student’s wellbeing and the whereabouts of that student are not known. The below information outlines the distinction between such circumstances.

5. Details of students’ listed emergency and wellbeing contacts are not available to all staff on Pegasus. If a situation arises where a member of staff considers contact with either the emergency or wellbeing contact is necessary, they should get in touch with the nominated Student Experience staff listed below. If such situation arises out of office hours, Security should be contacted.

Emergency & Urgent Situations

6. Please note that, as detailed in the Helping Students in Distress Guide 2023 (pdf), in all situations of medical emergency where there is an immediate risk to the student’s life, i.e. overdose of drugs, serious self-harm, physical emergency, staff should contact Security Services on 2222 for help in contacting emergency services.

7. In emergency (for example, a student is admitted to hospital with serious and immediate concerns about their health that the University has been notified of) and urgent (for example, a student is believed to be a missing person) situations, the University may notify the student’s listed emergency contacts. In such circumstances, the staff member leading on the response to the situation should get in touch with Student Experience nominated staff, or Security if the situation arises out of hours, without delay.

8. In liaison with relevant colleagues and taking into consideration all readily available contextual information, nominated senior Student Experience staff* will determine whether contact should be made with the student’s listed contacts and will advise all associated colleagues on next steps.

Ongoing Concern for a Student’s Wellbeing

9. The University may also decide to contact a student’s listed wellbeing contact in situations that are not emergencies or urgent but where there are emerging/ongoing concerns about a student’s wellbeing.

10. Examples of this would include situations where there are concerns about engagement/attendance/behaviour.

11. Where a student has stopped engaging with their learning and/or there appears to be cause for concern/emerging concerns about the student’s mental health or wellbeing, the academic departments should take proactive steps to establish contact and gather relevant information.

12. All available and reasonable methods of communication should be used, and staff should be mindful that many students are unlikely to respond to an email where they are deliberately avoiding contact.

13. Staff should attempt to contact student using a variety of methods. Students’ contact details are available on Pegasus:

  • email
  • telephone (Staff can screen their own number, on most networks, by dialling 141 before entering the student’s number)
  • letter by recorded delivery
  • confer with other academic colleagues, fellow students and (if known) flatmates

14. Whether it is appropriate to contact fellow students, and how much information to share regarding the reason behind the contact will vary on a case-by-case basis. If there is good reason to think that a particular fellow student may have relevant information (for example, if they are working on a group project with the student, known to be close friends, part of sports team etc), then they should be contacted.

15. In each case of contact with fellow students, only the minimum information regarding the student that is required to obtain the relevant information should be disclosed.

16. Where attempts to contact have been exhausted and contact has not been established, gather any relevant information (last time student engaged, note any concerns or matters the student has reported, any concerning behaviour) and communicate to senior nominated Student Experience staff listed below.

17. Student Experience staff will then, based on information provided by the department/school, any information held centrally and all readily available contextual information, determine next steps.

18. Next steps may include:

  • asking the department/school to attempt further contact via email and phone and allowing a period for response
  • requesting an accommodation provider to check in on a student
  • contacting a student’s wellbeing contact
  • requesting Police Scotland to conduct a welfare check on a student

19. Where there is evidence of increased risk: eg, a student with a history of mental health difficulties; a student’s recent state of mind/behaviour/stated intentions; known contextual information such as home situation, the response should be escalated to step 14 quicker than normal.

20. If at any point, the information collated indicates that the student has expressed suicidal ideation or there are other indications of an imminent safety risk, contact the Disability & Wellbeing Service by email at disability-wellbeing@strath.ac.uk or by telephone on +44 (0)141 548 3402 copying in the nominated senior Student Experience staff listed below.

21. For assistance out of hours, contact Security on +44 (0)141 548 2222 who will liaise with the on-call Student Experience Head of Service.

Daytime Office Hours Nominated Student Experience Staff

Out of Hours Assistance

Security:+44 (0)141 548 2222 (Extension 2222)

*For the purposes of this guidance, senior Student Experience staff comprise: The Director of Student Experience; Student Experience Heads of Service; the Disability and Wellbeing Managers