Student Support Officer

Northern College of Acupuncture | Registered Charity Number:The NCA is a small, progressive HE provider registered with the Office for Students. The Student Support Officer will be a person who is enthusiastic about the value of student support and keen to bring us into line with best practices in the HE sector. We re based in York City Centre and have an excellent reputation for training practitioners in the UK and beyond. We offer BSc degrees in Acupuncture and MScs in Nutrition and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Our values: We aim to be a person-centred, progressive, sustainable community, embodying integrity and quality. The Vacancy: We are looking to recruit an experienced Student Support Officer to work in our Student Services Team, who can provide a welfare and disability advisory service for all NCA students and staff across all of our courses. This is a very independent role, and the College will be relying on your expertise in this subject area to provide advice, information and support in relation to specific learning difficulties, disability, mental and physical health and personal issues, drawing on external sources of advice and information as necessary. This includes onward referral to other sources of help both within the College (study skills team) and externally (counselling or other). We anticipate that initially, the post holder will focus on identifying and working with a student caseload, and on reviewing and updating relevant policies and procedures (including providing guidance on developing SpLD-friendly learning materials). Following this initial phase, working with the team to advise on materials for staff induction and development including a staff well-being programme will be on the agenda. As the role develops the tasks will expand to include staff development more generally. Our ideal candidate: Previous experience of student support in the areas of specific learning difficulties, disability, mental and physical health and personal issues. Degree level or equivalent qualification or experience. Confidence in their subject with an ability to train and communicate this to team members. Proficient in IT and able to pick up new systems quickly. Awareness of confidentiality requirements when dealing with personal information. Excellent social and communication skills. Compassionate, person-centred and capable in dealing with personal difficulties and support needs. Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team. Able to work flexible hours in response to students needs. An organised and methodical approach to work. Knowledge of the Equality Act 2010 and a commitment to the principles of equality and diversity. Ability to prioritise and exercise judgement. Ability to work accurately, with attention to detail and meeting deadlines. Good standard of English, both written and spoken. Desirable extras: Significant experience as an adviser within the welfare & disability field within higher education. Qualification in advice work. Experience and knowledge of working with Disabled Student Allowance. Experience working with people in distress and with long-term mental health conditions. Ability to develop policies and procedures. An applicant with less direct experience in the field will need to be willing to undertake training and self-study to build up their expertise. Job Type: Part-time Number of hours: 16 hours per week. Hours of work: Flexible working hours and an element of home-working can be discussed as long as the needs of the College and the Students can be met. Some weekend working will be necessary at induction days or when providing support for weekend students, and the successful candidate must be able to work Thursdays (when necessary) as that s the College meetings day. Salary: Student Support Officer salary starts at level 13 ( 27,723.37) pro rata. Progression to SP14 comes after successful completion of the 6-month probationary period. Reporting to: Student Services Manager Benefits of working at NCA: Up to 33 days annual leave including bank holidays (Prorated for part-time staff) Free appointments in our Acupuncture, Nutrition and Herbs clinics Support with personal and professional development Access to discounts for working at an education facility On-site parking Opportunities for additional work on various projects Key Responsibilities: Provide pastoral support, information and advice related to student (and staff) welfare, specific learning difficulties, disability, mental and physical health and personal issues. This includes managing a caseload of students (and possibly a few staff), responding to immediate incidents where appropriate, maintaining effective case records, reporting on work undertaken, and maintaining the NCA s records of Student Support and Concerns about Students so that staff are kept informed. Gather external information and advice on students circumstances and support needs as necessary. Make referrals to NCA services such as counselling and study skills support, as necessary. Guide and advise students on appropriate policies and procedures relating to their studies and circumstances, such as interrupting study or submitting a claim for extenuating circumstances. Advise and support students with disabilities and long-term health conditions, agreeing, authorising and implementing reasonable adjustments with students and staff, and ensuring staff are kept informed. Provide information and training to staff regarding specific learning difficulties, disability, and mental and physical health, and how to support students and fellow staff. Assist with the maintenance of student records and statistics. Assist with meeting the requirements of the NCA s Access and Participation Plan. Review and report on NCA student support strategy, policies and procedures with the Student Services Manager, on an annual basis, or more often if required by the Senior Management Team or Academic Board, recommending improvements as appropriate and working with the Student Services Manager to implement improvements. Promote the NCA s student support services at introductory days, induction days, and similar events (weekend work required for some of these). Develop and maintain up-to-date materials outlining support services available to students, including webpages and leaflets. Administer, develop and review any bursaries, hardship funds and similar that are in place. Attend Student Progress Committee meetings for each course, and participate in Guild HE forums and meetings on student support. Receive, monitor and record requests for extenuating circumstances and refer to Course Director for decision. Attend College meetings as required (these usually take place on Thursdays) Participate in the College s Performance Review Programme. Other tasks as required. Note: This job description is not a comprehensive definition of the post, and the post holder will be expected to undertake any other tasks appropriate to the duties and responsibilities of the post. The job description will be reviewed as part of the cycle of appraisal, and it may be subject to modification or amendment at any time after consultation with the post holder. If you're interested in applying, we d love to see more than just your CV and so we request that you include a cover letter as well as your CV here. The closing date for applications is: Monday 6th November 2023. Interviews: we will contact you by Friday 10th November to arrange an interview if you ve been successfully shortlisted. Interviews will take place during w/c 13th or w/c 20th November we will provide further details when we confirm your interview. Start date: Immediately / as soon as possible if having to give notice to a current employer (must be able to be in post by January term start).

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