FOI: bereavement services
Dear Kingston University,
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
Dear Poppy,
Thank you for your recent request for information relating to Kingston
University. Your request was received on 04/07/19 and is now being dealt
with under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please note that in some circumstances a fee may be payable prior to
information being supplied. If a charge is applicable in this case I will
contact you to request payment before proceeding further. Details of the
University’s charging policy can be found in section 3 of its Freedom of
Information Policy, available at the link below:
[1]http://www.kingston.ac.uk/aboutkingstonu...
I will be in touch again in due course and in any event not later than
01/08/19 this being twenty working days following receipt of your request.
In the meantime, please feel free to contact me if I can be of any further
assistance.
Kind regards,
Lyn
…………………………………………….
Lyn Porteous
Resources and Compliance Team
Library and Learning Services
Kingston University
Dear Poppy,
Further to your recent request for information, the University’s response
follows.
Do you offer special provisions for counselling services for students
specific to bereavement? Yes – our counselling sessions can be tailored to
this if this is the identified issue to address.
Do you offer any support or counselling services for students? Yes
Do you have an institution wide policy/guidance regarding caring for
students following a bereavement? Yes – we use the NHS booklet
[1]http://www.selfhelpguides.ntw.nhs.uk/kin...
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? All forms of bereavement.
Can you tell me what special provision you have for offering extensions
and academic breaks in study after a bereavement? Please see our
Mitigating Circumstances policy which is available [2]here.
How much money did you allocate to counselling and support services for
bereavement per year (Jan 2016-Jan 2019)?
The University does not have a dedicated budget allocated to counselling
and support services for bereavement. The figures below indicate the
annual budgets for the Student Wellbeing Group and an estimated budget for
our student life advisors. Both areas are responsible for providing
significant amounts of the support which is provided in cases of
bereavement.
2016/2017 2017/2018 2018/2019
£ £ £
1,222,939.00 1,118,067.00 1,118,067.00
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? This
question is outside the scope of the Freedom of Information Act (2000).
This completes the University’s response to your information request. If
you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request an internal review of our
decision please contact:
Director of VCO and DPO, email : [3][email address] or
by post: Kingston University, 10 Crescent House, Grove Crescent, Penrhyn
Road Campus, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2EE.
In the event that you are not content with the outcome of your complaint
you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision
unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by Kingston
University. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
I hope that you now have the information you require.
Kind regards,
Lyn
-----------------------------------------
Lyn Porteous
Resources and Compliance Team
Library and Learning Services
Kingston University
From: Kingston University, FOI <[email address]>
Sent: 04 July 2019 10:16
To: Poppy Damon <[FOI #586670 email]>
Cc: Kingston University, FOI <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - FOI: bereavement services -
FOI102020
Dear Poppy,
Thank you for your recent request for information relating to Kingston
University. Your request was received on 04/07/19 and is now being dealt
with under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please note that in some circumstances a fee may be payable prior to
information being supplied. If a charge is applicable in this case I will
contact you to request payment before proceeding further. Details of the
University’s charging policy can be found in section 3 of its Freedom of
Information Policy, available at the link below:
[4]http://www.kingston.ac.uk/aboutkingstonu...
I will be in touch again in due course and in any event not later than
01/08/19 this being twenty working days following receipt of your request.
In the meantime, please feel free to contact me if I can be of any further
assistance.
Kind regards,
Lyn
…………………………………………….
Lyn Porteous
Resources and Compliance Team
Library and Learning Services
Kingston University
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