Welfare in College
Notice board with welfare information.Welfare in college is generally provided by college officers (typically tutors or other members of staff), student common room (i.e., JCR or MCR) officers, other student volunteers, and specialist welfare providers, such as doctors. If you are concerned about what might happen when you approach a welfare provider in your college, consider talking to your common room officer first. He or she should be able to suggest the best person to approach and how to go about doing this.
Every college has a tutor responsible for the welfare of students. Most colleges also have other staff members who can give you advice and support. Each college's system is different, but these staff members may include the Senior Tutor, Dean and Chaplain, among others.
Welfare tutors
Most colleges assign each student a ‘welfare tutor’ who is responsible for providing adequate welfare support for you. ‘Welfare tutors’ may be referred to by a different name in your college (e.g., moral tutors, personal tutors, college advisor). This tutor can help you in times of emergency (for example, if you need to take some time away from your studies). They can also assist you with other issues you experience in college, such as making a complaint or appeal or if you are a victim of harassments. If you think that an issue might affect your degree, you should ask this person for advice. The sooner the college knows about the problems you have, the more they can help you.
Senior tutor
All colleges have a Senior Tutor or equivalent. If you need to appeal to the Proctors on examination matters, you usually have to talk to your Senior Tutor. If you are unsure whom to turn to about a college matter, the Senior Tutor can usually help you find the right person.
Chaplain
Each college has a Chaplain, and they are available to support anyone of any faith or no faith in college. They often have a great deal of experience of niversity life and can usually help you with disciplinary procedures.
Common room officers
Each common room has at least one Welfare Officer or Representative. Many common rooms have more than one, including one men's welfare officer and one women's welfare officer. They can provide you with welfare information, sexual health resources, and referrals to other welfare services. Many common rooms have ‘welfare surgery hours’ where you can drop in with questions, and common room officers often list their contact details on the JCR or MCR website or other bulletin boards in case you need to get in touch with them. Some common room officers have received counselling training, so you can approach them if you just want to talk about something rather than get information. Most college and common room websites will list contact details for welfare providers, so you can always check on the Internet and find out where to go for help.
Many common rooms have special places in college providing welfare resources. Typically, this will be in a welfare box or file in a discreet place, containing information on a wide range of welfare issues and resources for sexual health matters. Welfare information is also posted on notice boards and given out in the form of leaflets or handbooks. Make sure you keep the handbooks or leaflets, as you may need them later.
Peer Support
The Peer Support Programme trains students who want to learn counselling skills to help other students when things get tough. The training takes 30 hours and is supplemented by a confidential meeting every two weeks with a counsellor during term time. Most colleges have Peer Supporters whom you can talk to about anything, and their service is confidential.
Doctors and nurses
Most colleges have either a college nurse or doctor who holds regular surgery hours (often in college) and provides advice about any welfare issue affecting your mental or physical health. Remember to ask specifically about their confidentiality policies as these vary from college to college.