This means a member of staff is worried about your health, wellbeing or feels that your behaviour might be impacting on your studies, your ability to engage fully with university life, or to be safe and well at university.

They may also be worried about the impact your behaviour might be having on the safety, wellbeing or experience of others.

This will be a meeting between you and a relevant member of staff in agreement with you, someone you feel understands you.

You and the member of staff will talk about how things are going for you, what concerns you or they have and what support or reasonable adjustments might help.

They might signpost you to other services that might be able to help and support you such as the disability team, wellbeing, therapy etc. Or they might signpost you to services outside of the University such as Bath DHI.

During the meeting you will agree a support for study plan (SSP) together to record the goals and the actions that you will both take in order to support you.

You will also agree a review date, as well as if/how contact should happen between you both before the review meeting.

If you and/or the member of staff feel that the support for study plan is not enough to support you to make enough of a difference, it may be that you are referred to a stage 2 of the process.

• You will agree an action plan to support you to address the concerns
• You may also agree new or additional reasonable adjustments to support you
• If after talking together you or the member of staff feel that the concerns are significant or have been going on for a long time despite support, you might be invited to a different stage of the procedure

• A copy of your Support for Study Plan is given to you
• A copy of your Support for Study Plan is given to your academic department
• A brief note of the meeting or the Support for Study Plan is uploaded to your SAMIS record
• Student Casework Team are told that a Stage 1 has been opened for you
• You will follow up on any agreed communication
• You and the member of staff will meet at the agreed date and time to review the SSP

You and the member of staff will meet up to review how you have been since the first meeting and if the actions you both agreed have been completed. You might also expect to;

• Discuss and explore any new or remaining concerns either of you have
• Discuss any new or ongoing support you might need
• Agree together what, if any, further action is needed
• If you both agree that the original concern is past and no further action may be necessary then the Stage 1 will be closed and the Student Casework Team are informed
• If one or both of you agree that the what was causing the original concerns has got worse, you will work together to agree new goals/actions with clear timescales for improvement
• If one or both of you feel that the concerns have got much worse this might mean that you are moved to a stage 2 of the process

There are three possible outcomes to the review;

• The SSP will end
• The SSP will continue with another review date set
• You are referred to another stage

You may have been being supported through a Stage 1 Support for Study plan that hasn’t solved the original concern, or new concerns might have been highlighted through the Stage 1.

Or the Department of Student Support and Safeguarding might have a more serious concern about your health, wellbeing or feel that your behaviour might be seriously impacting on your studies, your ability to engage fully with university life, or to be safe and well at university. They may also be seriously worried about the impact your behaviour might be having on the safety, wellbeing or experience of others.

The Case Management Team work in the Student Support and Safeguarding Department and will usually try to meet with you before the meeting to complete a Support for Study report.

You will be given at least 7 calendar days’ notice of your Stage 2 Support for Study meeting and told what the purpose of the meeting is. You will also be told who is going to be on the panel and what support you can get before, during and after the meeting.

We can help you at all stages of this, including attending the Panel meeting with you if you would like us to. We can support you to prepare for the meeting and to understand and respond to any outcome.

The Panel will be made up of staff from your academic department and the Deputy Director (Student Policy & Safeguarding) who is usually the Chair.

You can ask to bring a friend, family member or other support person, including an SU Advisor to the HWSS Panel.

If you have a disability, you can also be accompanied to the meeting by a Disability Support Worker if required.

If you have a disability or any specific needs that require adjustments to this HWSS process, you can email hwss@bath.ac.uk in order for arrangements to be made.

At the panel meeting you will be able to talk through all the issues that have been raised.

The Case Management Team will advise the Panel and you will be able to explain how you feel about the situation.

The Panel will make sure that you understand all the possible outcomes if your situation does not improve.

You will also agree a review date, as well as if/how contact should happen between you both before the review meeting.

They might signpost you to other services that might be able to help and support you such as the disability team, wellbeing, therapy etc. Or they might signpost you to services outside of the University such as Bath DHI.

During the meeting you will agree a support for study plan together to record the goals and the actions that you and others will take in order to support you.

You will be notified of the decision within 7 calendar days of the Stage 2 meeting.

If you and/or the member of staff feel that the support for study plan is not enough to support you to make enough of a difference, it may be that you are referred to a stage 3 of the process.

• No further action
• You will agree an action plan to support you to address the concerns
• You may also agree new or additional reasonable adjustments to support you
• If after talking together you or the member of staff feel that the concerns are significant or have been going on for a long time despite support, you might be invited to a different stage of the procedure

• You will be notified of the decision within 7 calendar days of the Stage 2 meeting
• A copy of your Support for Study Plan is given to you
• A copy of your Support for Study Plan is given to your academic department
• A brief note of the meeting or the Support for Study Plan is uploaded to your SAMIS record
• Student Casework Team are told that a Stage 2 has been opened for you
• You will follow up on any agreed communication
• You and the member of staff will meet at the agreed date and time to review the SSP

If you are asked to attend any review meetings you can request the support of one of our advisors in the meeting, and the meeting should include:

• Review of how you have been since the first meeting and if the agreed actions from that meeting have been completed
• Discussion with you about any continuing or new concerns
• Discussion about any new or ongoing relevant mitigating evidence (such as, for example, a medical report)
• Discussion with you about any further/ongoing support or adjustments that may help or be needed
• Agreement with you about a further action plan and if it is needed

There are three possible outcomes to the review;

• If the concern has been resolved no further action will be necessary the SSP will end
• If the concerns are still there or have increased the SSP will continue with another review planned
• If the concerns are persistent or critical you may be referred to a Stage 3 Support for Study meeting

You may have been being supported through a Stage 2 Support for Study plan that hasn’t solved the original concern, or new concerns might have been discovered through the Stage 2.  

You may also be invited to a Stage 3 Support for Study meeting if the Deputy Director (Student Policy & Safeguarding), believes there is enough evidence that the concerns that have been raised are persistent and/or critical.  

This means that they are extremely concerned that your health, wellbeing or your behaviour might be really seriously impacting on your studies, your ability to engage fully with university life, or to be safe and well at university or they are really seriously concerned about the impact your behaviour might be having on the safety, wellbeing or experience of others.  

Generally this will mean that; 

• There are concerns that you are unable to engage fully with your studies according to an appropriately qualified professional or  

• The University has been properly advised that you do not currently have mental capacity or that you are not able to make sound and rational decisions for yourself at this time 

Before the Support for Study meeting, the Case Management Team will usually meet with you to complete a Support for Study report.  

It is possible that the concerns are so great that the University decides it is safer to put some precautions in place straight away. 

Precautions could include an temporary suspension from the University or University accommodation, as shown in the Precautionary Measures Policy, until the Stage 3 meeting can take place. 

You will be given at least 7 calendar days’ notice of the Stage 3 meeting and told what the purpose of the meeting is. You will also be told who will be on the panel and of the support can get before, during and after the meeting. 

We can help you at all stages of this, including attending the Panel meeting with you if you would like us to. We can support you to prepare for the meeting and to understand and respond to any outcome.

The meeting panel will be Chaired by either a Pro-Vice-Chancellor, the Director of Education  and Student Services or the Director of Student Support and Safeguarding.  

Your Director of Studies/Head of Department and a member of Senate might also be there.  

A member of staff from Student Support and Safeguarding will be there to advise the panel.  

You can ask to bring a friend, family member or other support person, including an SU advisor to the HWSS Panel. 

If you have a disability, you can also be accompanied to the meeting by a Disability Support Worker or SU adviser if required. 

If you have a disability or any specific needs that require adjustments to this HWSS process, please email hwss@bath.ac.uk in order for arrangements to be made. 

At the panel meeting you will be able to talk through all of the issues that have been raise. This might include a history of events and past experiences along with things that have helped you in the past.

You will look at support options that might help to reduce the concerns and you might be signposted to other services that can help too.

The Case Management Team will advise the Panel and you will be able to explain how you feel about the situation.

The Panel will make sure that you understand all the possible outcomes if your situation does not improve, and any review will be agreed with you.

If there is a possibility that you might be suspended, the Panel will make sure that you understand what steps need to happen for you to return to study.

What are the possible outcomes from a Support for Study Stage 3 meeting?

• An action plan is agreed 

• An agreed period when you will be formal monitored to see how you are getting on 

• It may be agreed that you are referred to a different stage of the procedure  

• You may also agree new or additional reasonable adjustments or an individual programme of study to support you 

• It may be agreed that the best course of action is for you to be suspended from your studies for a period of time, or excluded from certain things 

• There may be other actions the Panel feel are proportionate and appropriate 

If the Panel feel there is any chance that the decision might be a suspension of studies, they will tell you what needs to happen before you can return, and what support is available to help you with this. 

• You will be notified of the decision within 7 calendar days of the Stage 3 meeting
• A copy of any Action Plan is given to you
• A copy of your Action Plan is given to your academic department
• A brief note of the meeting or the Action Plan is uploaded to your SAMIS record
• Student Casework Team are told that a Stage 3 has been opened for you
• You may be suspended from study or excluded from certain things
• You will follow up on any agreed communication
• You and the member of staff will meet at the agreed date and time to review the Action Plan and SSP

If the decision is a suspension of studies, the Stage 3 Panel will tell you what needs to happen before you can return, and what support is available to help you with this.

If you are asked to attend any review meetings you can request the support of one of our advisors in the meeting, and the meeting should include:

• Review of how you have been since the first meeting and if the agreed actions from that meeting have been completed
• Discussion with you about any further concerns
• Discussion about any new or ongoing relevant mitigating evidence (such as, for example, a medical report)
• Discussion with you about any further/ongoing support or adjustments that may be necessary
• Agreement with you about a further action plan if that is needed

There are three possible outcomes to the review

• If the concern has been reduced or resolved you might be moved to a different stage of the process
• If the concerns are still there or have increased the Action Plan will continue with another review planned OR
• If the concerns are persistent or critical you may be referred to a Stage 3 Support for Study meeting