Dear Gurpreet

Please accept this email as confirmation of receipt of your FOI request.

We will forward your FOI request to the relevant Newcastle University department for processing.

Regards,

Ben Heathcote
Information Security Officer (Compliance)
Information Security & Governance Team
IT Service
Newcastle University
NE1 7RU

Telephone: 0191 208 6950
Email: [email address]

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Good afternoon Gurpreet,

Thank you for your request for information dated 06/10/2018, please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in responding to your request.

Could you please outline the measures you have in place to support students who seek help with problem gambling?

The University’s Student Wellbeing team are available to offer support to students who are struggling with any issue that may be causing them distress, this includes issues around addictions including gambling. Support is made as accessible as possible being open from 8 AM to 9 PM four days a week during term time and 9-5 on a Friday. The service operates throughout the year on a 9-to-5 basis as well as the extended opening hours during term time.

. If the students experience of gambling was causing them financial hardship, they would be also be signposted to our internal Student Financial Support team and the Student Union Independent Financial Adviser team. Both of these teams would be able to give the student budgetary advice and guidance, along with helping to resolve any immediately hardship issues they may be facing as a result of gambling. These hardship resolution activities may include, but are not limited to the provision of money via a hardship loan system, linking them with statutory and/or third sector financial support systems and liaising with debtors.

Please specify the number of times the university has been contacted by students who seek support or advice for gambling in 2017-18 , 2016-17 , 2015-16, 2014-15,2013-14 (with an annual breakdown and gender breakdown of the pupil)

. We cannot provide this information, as our systems do not allow us to report the information in the way the information is being requested. Therefore given the limit of 18 hours’ search time set out in the FOI fees regulations, we must therefore refuse this element of your request under section 12(1) of the FOI Act. If you would like to discuss this with me, please let me know.

I hope that this is of use. If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your request you can ask for an internal review. Details of how to do this can be found at: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/foi/access/complain...

If you are not happy with the outcome of the internal review, you then have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner's Office for a decision. Details of how to do this can be found at: http://ico.org.uk/concerns

Kind regards,

Thomas Little
Information Security Officer (Compliance) - IT Service Newcastle University
Tel: 0191 2086904
[email address]

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