If you are a member of Queen Mary staff supporting a student in an urgent situation, please refer to the guidance below.
- Read our step by step guide for supporting a student in an urgent situation. It includes advice on how to follow up with Queen Mary’s mental health team once the immediate crisis is over, so that you can pass the situation on to staff best placed to help. The guide also provides guidance on other difficult situations that are less immediately urgent, as well as information about sexual violence and safeguarding issues.
- If there are concerns about a student’s mental health or wellbeing, send information about the incident to the Mental Health Team in the Disability and Dyslexia Service as soon as possible so that they can reach out to the student to offer follow-up support: dds@qmul.ac.uk or 020 7882 2756.
- Find further information on supporting someone you are worried about and the support available, both to you and to them.
Risk to others
If there is a risk to others (e.g. a serious incident has taken place on campus or involves a member of the Queen Mary community), you should speak to the Director of Student and Academic Services, Security and the Head of the Appeals, Complaints and Conduct Office at Queen Mary. Speak with your line manager/colleagues to decide who will take responsibility for doing this. You, or a relevant colleague, will need to talk to the student about whether or not they want their identity revealed to other staff. It is generally good practice to limit the sharing of personal information to a ‘need to know’ basis.
If there is a risk to others (e.g. a serious incident has taken place on campus or involves a member of the Queen Mary community), you should speak to the Director of Student and Academic Services, Security and the Head of the Appeals, Complaints and Conduct Office at Queen Mary. Speak with your line manager/colleagues to decide who will take responsibility for doing this. You, or a relevant colleague, will need to talk to the student about whether or not they want their identity revealed to other staff. It is generally good practice to limit the sharing of personal information to a ‘need to know’ basis.
Advice for staff during or following an incident or disclosure
Senior staff in the Advice and Counselling Service and Disability and Dyslexia Service can provide advice and support to staff who are supporting students. This might include:
Senior staff in the Advice and Counselling Service and Disability and Dyslexia Service can provide advice and support to staff who are supporting students. This might include:
- Talking through a meeting with a student after it has happened to debrief and discuss next steps
- Getting advice in advance about how to approach a conversation with a student where there are issues of sexual violence or concerns about mental health and wellbeing.
Contact the Advice and Counselling Service (ext. 8717 or email welfare@qmul.ac.uk) or the Disability and Dyslexia Service (ext. 2756 or email dds@qmul.ac.uk).
Senior staff from the Advice and Counselling Service and the Disability and Dyslexia Service are also available to facilitate 90-minute discussion and support groups for staff. The aim is to:
- Provide a supportive and informed space for staff to share their experiences of supporting students
- Share, and further develop, student support practice
- Debrief situations that are causing concern and discuss dilemmas.
For advice and support about QMUL processes and procedures in cases of sexual violence involving students, especially those taking place on campus or involving members of the Queen Mary community, please contact the Director of Student and Academic Services, the Head of Security and the Head of the Appeals, Complaints and Conduct Office at Queen Mary.