Procedure
During induction, you should make clear to all students that they are expected to comply with University attendance requirements.
Academic Advisors and Supervisors should play an active role in monitoring the attendance and wellbeing of students allocated to their care and the University also has an Engagement Monitoring for student wellbeing process.
Where there is an unplanned absence that causes concern you should follow the steps below, and if you are concerned about the welfare of a student you should report this to your line manager and/or Student Support without delay. Academic departments and the Accommodation Office should also liaise directly with each other at an early stage about any concerns they may have.
Stage 1: Investigate the absence
Any unplanned absence that is concerning or longer than two weeks should be immediately investigated within the student's academic department and /or their university or private accommodation. Avoid causing undue alarm.
This will include emailing and telephoning the student. It could also include asking the student’s friends, housemates, fellow students, or other staff (without revealing why and without causing undue alarm). In the first instance we are seeking to ensure the student is safe, and their peer network can be a helpful route to establish safety, without putting additional pressure on other students.
When contacting a student, departments are encouraged to use firm but compassionate wording, via email, text or leaving a voicemail. It is important to provide a clear deadline by which the student would be expected to respond (we recommend 2-3 days). Attempts should be made to contact the student at different times of day and if need be, over a number of days.
Where sending an email to the student please include the following text: “We are concerned for your welfare and if we do not hear from you by [xx], we may ask Student Support to contact the police or your Trusted Contact. Please reply to let us know you are safe.”
Once the student is found, confirm that they are safe and well.
Their Director of Studies or Academic Advisor should remind them about the University attendance requirements. They will explain how to inform the department of planned absences lasting longer than two weeks.
The department will also offer support to help address any underlying difficulties, and where there is a welfare concern please contact Student Support for advice.
At this stage, colleagues should not contact parents, emergency contacts or other third parties external to the University. This will be considered by Student Support as part of Stage 2.
Stage 2: Contact Student Support
If, following stage 1, you haven't found the student, and the deadline provided in stage 1 has passed, contact Student Support.
Student Support will try again to contact and find the student and assess the possible level of risk involved. This may include:
- searching the student's University Hall of residence room, for clues to their whereabouts
- asking the Students' Union, Security Services, Digital, Data & Technology (DD&T), Sports Training Village and the Library for any electronic evidence of the student's whereabouts
- establishing last known contacts and whether the student has shown any unusual patterns of behaviour
If Student Support considers there to be grounds for concern about the student's wellbeing, they will use the student's emergency contact number to contact family or friends.
Stage 3: Reporting the student as missing
If, after these enquiries, the location and wellbeing of the student cannot be confirmed, Student Support will report the student as missing to the Police and/or their Embassy, and become the main University point of contact for the Police.
They will inform the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching), the relevant Dean, the Head of Corporate Communications and the Director of Academic Registry to ensure any incoming enquiries can be dealt with appropriately.