Signposting your tutees to appropriate professional services or sources of information will enable them to get the right support early and allow them to be better informed of the opportunities available at University. This increases the likeliness of tutees making progress with their studies, continuing with their course of study at the University and reaping the maximum benefit from the
In most cases, your role is to signpost services to your tutee, but it is their responsibility to act on this advice if they so choose. If they choose not to seek further help, then you should respect their decision and provide them with information on support options should they change their mind.
In some cases, it may be necessary for you to make a referral on behalf of the student. You should consider doing this when a student is at risk of serious harm to themselves or others or is in a highly distressed state. When making the referral you should explain to your tutee why you are doing this, who you are contacting and then discuss the information that you will be sharing. It is important that you ask for your tutee’s consent to you sharing any relevant information. If you have serious concerns about a student who refuses to get specialist help then you should contact the appropriate service to seek advice, remembering not to disclose any personal details. The Academic Tutors Quick Reference Guide to Additional Support Services for Students provides a handy guide to assessing a tutee in crisis and offers a Red-Amber-Green traffic light approach to triaging the situation and getting the student the most appropriate help and support opportunities available to them.
To signpost your tutees to the most appropriate support, you need to be aware of services offered by the University. These include: