Student Wellbeing Support 2023
Overview of support within the School of Media, Arts and Humanities
We are continuing with the same system that we implemented last year, with some minor changes.
- The Student Experience professional services (PS) team monitor attendance and engagement for taught students in our School, and flag any students who may need support. Those students are contacted by the PS team. Depending on how low the student’s engagement has been, they are invited to meet a Student Wellbeing Advocate (SWA), or one of our Directors of Student Wellbeing (DSW).
- We have a team of 15 SWAs, and one of these will appear on each UG students’ Sussex Direct profile as their ‘academic advisor’. As well as answering general queries, SWAs invite students for individual meetings when their attendance and engagement are of concern. The role of the SWAs is to help students identify the kind of help they need and to direct them to that support. Each UG year group has a team of SWAs attached to it.
- If the student’s attendance and engagement are extremely limited, or there are other circumstances of concern, they are invited to meet one of our Directors of Student Wellbeing (DSWs). The role of the DSWs is to support students with more complex circumstances, to attend meetings with members of other university units to provide co-ordinated support, and to chair the School Student Progress Committees (SSPC) for their cohort. Each DSW is responsible for one UG year group, and we also support PGT students.
- At least one SSPC per year group is held each term to meet students whose attendance continues to be a concern, or who have failed to engage with earlier steps in the process. The objective is to identify the problem and support the student, and this will sometimes mean asking the student to withdraw (temporarily or permanently) from the university.
The main role of the School Student Experience Team is to help students to take responsibility for their wellbeing and academic success, by supporting them in identifying their needs and finding the right person or resource to help. Colleagues are encouraged to refer students on to us where non-academic support is needed, and to be mindful of appropriate boundaries in supporting students.
Current vacancies
Please find below role descriptions and application form for Director of Student Wellbeing and Student Wellbeing Advocate roles.
We have now recruited for 23-24, and recruitment for the following year will be announced via the Dean’s Update.
Read the job description for Director of Student Wellbeing.
Read the job description for Student Wellbeing Advocates.
You can find more information, including information about all the team members, on the School website.
See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information.