FOI: bereavement services

The request was successful.

Dear Orkney College,

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 Madam

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 – Request for Information

Thank you for your information request dated 3 July 2019 and received on 4 July 2019. Our reference is FOI 2019-0699. This is being dealt with under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

We are considering your request. We may be in touch soon to ask for further clarification or to offer advice and assistance if we are not able to fulfil your request in its present form.

The legislation allows us up to 20 working days from the date that we receive a valid request, including any clarification we need to make a final response. We will be in touch within 20 working days of receipt of your initial request to provide our response or to seek clarification where necessary. We hope to give you the information you are looking for at an earlier date if possible.

Regards

Katy Russell-Duff
Administrative Officer
Corporate Services
Orkney Islands Council, Council Offices, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY
Telephone 01856 873535 Extension 2210

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Classification: NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

Dear Sir/Madam

 

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 – Request for Information

 

I refer to your email dated 3 July 2019 and received on 4 July 2019; our
reference is FOI 2019-0699.

 

I am pleased to give the information you requested and hope that it meets
your requirements.

 

Do you offer special provisions for counselling services for students
specific to bereavement? Y/N Please see next question

 

Do you offer any support or counselling services for students? Y/N We work
with external organisations who provide access to expert counselling
services in a variety of areas.

 

Do you have an institution wide policy/guidance regarding caring for
students following a bereavement? Y/N Personal circumstances, which would
include bereavement, are covered under the objectives of the Student
Guidance Policy.

 

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?

Support takes into consideration individual circumstances, be that parent,
sibling, child or other.

 

Can you tell me what special provision you have for offering extensions
and academic breaks in study after a bereavement?

Provision would depend on individual circumstances and could include, for
example, suspension of study, submission of mitigating circumstances.

 

How much money did you allocate to counselling and support services for
bereavement per year (Jan 2016-Jan 2019)?

As a small college there is not a separate budget targeted singularly at
bereavement, various types of support are incorporated into the wider
support budget.

 

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?
We do not wish to offer an opinion on this.

 

 

Under FOISA, if you are dissatisfied with our response, you may ask the
Council to review its handling of your request. If you wish to do this,
you should make your request for review with 40 working days of receiving
this email. Please make your request for review to Head of Legal Services,
Council Offices, School Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY or email to
[1][email address]. Your request must be in permanent form (letter,
email, audio tape etc) and should state:

 

That you are asking for a review of this decision, and

Why you are unhappy with the response you have received.

 

We will issue a full response to your request for review with 20 working
days of our receiving it.

 

Where the outcome of the review fails to resolve the matter to your
complete satisfaction, you then have the right to apply to the Scottish
Information Commissioner for a decision. You have six months in which to
do so following receipt of our review outcome – see
[2]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal.

 

Regards

 

George Vickers

Information Governance Officer

Corporate Services

Orkney Islands Council, Council Offices, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY

Telephone: 01856 873535 Extension: 2162

[3]www.orkney.gov.uk

 

 

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