Student Welfare Support Adviser

Oxford Brookes University has a vacancy for a full time permanent Student Welfare and Support Advisers The team works on a hybrid model (on campus and from home).

As a Student Welfare and Support Adviser, you will be part of a small team of student welfare and support advisers within the Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Service, which includes Solution-Focused Therapists, Student Welfare and Support Advisers, Mental Health Advisers, and Multifaith Chaplains. 

As the Student Welfare and Support Adviser, you will be responsible for:

• Providing a first and regular point of contact for vulnerable students, those at risk or in crisis, with substantial and enduring mental health conditions, those who may be reluctant to access professional services, students who are unsure of which support services to access.
• Providing streamlined assessments, identifying clear referral pathways (internal and external), and offering support and guidance to students who are having difficulties functioning or continuing their studies for non-academic reasons or who are eligible for reasonable adjustments to help them successfully engage with University life and avoid crises.
• Providing specialist advice, guidance and support to students (both prospective and current students) who have disclosed mental health as a disability or who have mental health difficulties more generally, which may or may not be in addition to a disability.
• Respond to serious concerns about students undertaking risk assessments of their situations, face-to-face (in-person or online video) by telephone of students who are at risk of harm to themselves or others, engage in safety planning, conduct brief solution-focused interventions and signpost to appropriate internal and external agencies.

Student Welfare and Support Adviser skills and experience:

• An undergraduate degree, equivalent qualification or work experience equivalent to an undergraduate degree.
• Experience in providing streamlined assessments, face to face (in person, via an online video platform, by telephone) to determine the nature and duration of help required by the individual including identifying clear referral pathways (internal and external).
• Experience in assessing and managing risk of harm to self and others in a front-line provision.
• Experience working on a 1-to-1 basis with students/adults in distress, affected by mental health difficulties or with other complex and multi-dimensional needs.
• Experience in working as part of a multidisciplinary team in an organisational setting.
• Experience in providing culturally sensitive interventions in a multicultural environment.

*Please note: the successful applicant will need to be subject to a background disclosure check by the Disclosure and barring Service (DBS) before any appointment can be confirmed. 

You will also enjoy the benefits of working at Oxford Brookes University with up to 38 days holiday, rising to 41 days holiday (this includes 13 Bank Holidays and Concessionary Days), a generous Local Government pension scheme (19.2% Employer contribution rate), cycle to work scheme and access to a variety of university facilities (Brookes Nursery, Gym and sports facilities). 

At Oxford Brookes, inclusivity is one of our five guiding principles: we take positive steps to create an environment in which we celebrate, value and provide equal opportunity to all. We are committed to recruiting from the widest possible pool and welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates who embrace our values, regardless of their background. 

As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee to interview any disabled applicant who meets the essential selection criteria.

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