CCI Student Support Adviser

Supporting your role as a personal tutor

Supporting tutors handling issues of student engagement, wellbeing and work performance Students can encounter academic, personal or financial difficulties while at university, and it is not always clear how to help them. Student Support Adviser (SSA) services provide a mechanism for students to have confidential discussions with staff about issues preventing course engagement, and to develop strategies to resolve or cope with any issues they are facing.

SSA services can contact students at the request of staff and invite them for private one-to-one meetings. Meetings are friendly, honest and confidential, and students are contacted in a tactful, sensitive manner. Information imparted by the students is not released without their consent. Each meeting is intended to provide students with the full range of support options for their particular issue, which might include referral to dedicated support services, ECFs, status changes (e.g. course transfers, study breaks) or bespoke solutions to unique issues.

What can students expect from the SSA service?

• Confidential discussions
• Impartial advice
• A gateway to other university support services
• Assistance finding specialist support
• Clarification of student-focused university policies
• Assistance with Extenuating Circumstance Forms
• Resources to help kick bad studying habits

Identifying engagement issues

It can be difficult to identify disengaged students or those with support needs. Often, the first sign of such difficulties are lack of attendance, a drop in work performance and sudden changes in behaviour. SSA services may be asked to contact chronically absent students as a matter of school policy, but there is value in staff independently requesting SSA assistance if they suspect or realise a student is struggling.

Who can access SSA services?

Any CCI student, including postgraduates, are eligible to speak with SSA services. Staff members and students concerned for specific students can also seek advice, but should remember that confidentiality is an important concern for any support service dealing with sensitive, personal information: SSA services cannot impart information about students without student consent. Parents, guardians and landlords of CCI students can also be referred to the SSA if they have questions about University policy, though confidentiality policies preclude discussion of any matters related to specific students.

Contacting SSA services

Appointments are not always necessary, but are encouraged if students want to guarantee a meeting. Appointments can be made by email or phone. See contact and availability details below.

Out of hours resources and crises

The Student Support Adviser Moodle page offers a suite of resources for CCI students looking for support with their University life. Where immediate and urgent action seems to be required e.g. a student is threatening suicide or to harm others, or is displaying signs of severe mental health problems, contact the security lodge on ext. 3418 and they will be able to contact the relevant emergency services in the first instance.