FOI: bereavement services

The request was successful.

Dear Oxford Brookes 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

Vanna Leathart, Oxford Brookes University

Dear Ms Damon,

Freedom of Information Act Request - our reference 2091-149.

Thank you for your email dated 3 July 2019 requesting information from
Oxford Brookes University about bereavement services.

The University will respond on or before 1 August 2019, the date on which
the 20 working day response period permitted by the Freedom of Information
Act ends.

I may need to contact you again if the request needs to be clarified; this
is to ensure that we provide you with the information you require.

Please note that in certain cases some information you have requested may
not be provided to you; this will only be information that can be withheld
by law. In these cases the reasons will be explained to you along with
your copy of any information that can be released to you.

Yours Sincerely

Vanna Leathart
--
Vanna Leathart
University Records Manager
IT Services
Oxford Brookes University
Tel: +44 (0)1865 484046
Please note my normal working days are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Vanna Leathart, Oxford Brookes University

Dear Ms Damon,

Freedom of Information Act Request - our reference 2019-149.

Further to your email of 3 July 2019 asking for information from Oxford
Brookes University about bereavement services, I am able to provide the
following information in response to your request.

You asked:

+Do you offer special provisions for counselling services for students
specific to bereavement? Y/N

Answer:

No

+Do you offer any support or counselling services for students? Y/N

Answer:

Yes

+Do you have an institution  wide policy/guidance regarding caring for
students following a bereavement? Y/N

Answer:

No

+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?

Answer:

We have no specific policy relating to bereavement.  We would refer
students dealing with bereavement of any kind to an external
organisation specialising in bereavement counselling.

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

Answer:

Students are advised to apply for mitigating circumstances.  

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

Answer:

Bereavement is only one of many reasons that students may seek help from
our Counselling Service.  It is not possible to extract the cost of
counselling those students from the total counselling 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?  

Answer:

No opinion..

If this information does not address your requirements under the Freedom
of Information Act or you wish to complain about any aspect of the
handling of this request, then you should contact the undersigned in the
first instance. Should you remain dissatisfied, then you may apply for an
internal review by contacting the Director of Marketing and Communications
at Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3
OBP (email: [1][email address] ).  Your request for internal
review should be submitted to us within 40 working days of receipt by you
of this response. 

During the independent review the handling of your information request
will be reassessed by staff who were not involved in providing you with
this response. If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your
request or complaint, you have a right to appeal to the Information
Commissioner at The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. Further contact information and
details of the role and powers of the Information Commissioner can be
found on the Commissioner's website: [2]http://www.ico.org.uk/ 

Please note that the Information Commissioner is unlikely to investigate
your case until the University’s internal review process has been
completed.

Yours sincerely

Vanna Leathart

--
Vanna Leathart
University Records Manager
IT Services
Oxford Brookes University
Tel: +44 (0)1865 484046
Please note my normal working days are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

References

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1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.ico.gov.uk/