People often ask us 

Great question. Because we're part of the Students' Union (SU) we're independent to the University. This means our advice is impartial and we don't share information with Departments or any University services.

In very rare circumstances, we might have to disclose information to the University if we had enough evidence to believe someone was in serious danger or a serious crime had taken place. We would always try to involve you in that decision and explain what we were doing. 

The second way we differ is the type of advice we provide. The image below shows the types of advice the University Student Support Team provide compared to the SU Advice Team. 

The left-hand circle represents the University Student Support Team, who offer specialist advice and support with mental health, disabilities, money and to international students. 

On the right, the SU Advice Team offer specialist and independent support with academic processes, housing and personal issues (including supporting students through a disciplinary process).

In the middle there are two areas where our work overlaps; both Teams support the Be The Change project (students can report inappropriate behaviour or misconduct to either the University or SU) and we both support students with their health (e.g. sexual health or support with alcohol and drugs). 

We know you trust us with very personal information. These links explain how we handle your information in line with the SU Data Protection Policy and Privacy Policy.

If you'd like to understand more about how our confidentiality agreement or policies work, this link takes you to the SU Advice and Support Terms and Conditions 2022