FOI: bereavement services

The request was successful.

Dear Wolfson College, Oxford,

I am e-mailing to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

If you have any questions or need clarification to complete my request, I would be grateful if you could contact me prior to the deadline of 20 working days from receiving my request.

I’m looking for information regarding the bereavement services which are available in your university or college. Please could you answer the following:

+Do you offer special provisions for counselling services for students specific to bereavement? Y/N
+Do you offer any support or counselling services for students? Y/N
+Do you have an institution wide policy/guidance regarding caring for students following a bereavement? Y/N
+Do your policies or practices exclusively relate to support for students who have lost parents or does your support factor in other forms of bereavement, such as losing a sibling?
+Can you tell me what special provision you have for offering extensions and academic breaks in study after a bereavement?
+How much money did you allocate to counselling and support services for bereavement per year (Jan 2016-Jan 2019)?
+If you feel you would like to offer an opinion, would you say your institution feels you are offered enough from the Government in order to support students who have experienced bereavement while studying?

I understand that under the Act, I should be entitled to a response within 20 working days. I would be grateful if you could confirm via e-mail that you have received this request.

Regards,
Georgia Coan + Poppy Damon
[Number Removed]

Yours faithfully,

Poppy Damon

Wolfson FOI, Wolfson College, Oxford

Dear Poppy Damon

 

Thank you for your FOI request. 

 

Wolfson College is a postgraduate only college and is part of the
University of Oxford. The University has a centralised counselling service
that is accessible to all students. More information can be found here:
[1]https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/co.... The
counselling service is a professional service run through the central
University, not by individual colleges, so you would need to contact the
University for more detailed information on the support they provide to
students who experience bereavement and how they allocate the funding. You
can submit an FOI request to the University directly and information as to
how you can do that is provided here:
[2]https://compliance.admin.ox.ac.uk/submit...

 

From the College perspective, when a student experiences a bereavement we
refer them to the University counselling services; they may also
self-refer without our knowledge if they wish. We have referred students
for cases involving both family members and friends so the service is not
restricted to students who have lost parents. We may also provide
additional support through the college welfare team, which includes a
qualified nurse, although this would primarily be generic support and
advice and would include discussing their options with regard to applying
for extensions or considering taking a break from their studies. There is
also a process for submitting information regarding  mitigating
circumstances in relation to assessments.  As every student's experience
of bereavement is different and unique to them, and they are all at
different stages with their academic studies, we would work with them to
try to identify the most appropriate way forward for their situation and
circumstances.

 

We hope this provides you with the information you need but if you have
any queries please do get in touch with us.

Regards

FOI Officer

References

Visible links
1. https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/co...
2. https://compliance.admin.ox.ac.uk/submit...