Once a student is registered with us we consider ourselves to have a duty of care towards them. This means that we will offer what support and assistance we reasonably can if we are aware that they are having difficulties. However not all students are good at coming forward and asking for help and may need encouragement to do so.
If you are concerned about your son or daughter while they are a student here at York usually the best first step is to talk to them about the difficulties they are having and encourage them to speak to someone at the University. They can talk to their supervisor(s) in their academic department(s), to someone in their college, to someone in the Student Support Services or someone in the Students Union. You can find out more information about these different services from the Student Support Services Handbook:
SSS Handbook
If that doesn't work, or you feel the situation is very serious or urgent, then you have the option of contacting their supervisor, college team, or staff in Student Support Services yourself. As explained in the section on confidentiality [see:confidentiality], staff will not be able to have a discussion with you or give you any information about your son or daughter. However we will be able to listen to you, take note of your concerns and alert those at the University with pastoral responsibility towards your son or daughter, usually their supervisor and their college.
We cannot guarantee to offer you confidentiality as our duty of care is to the student, but we will take into account your preferences about whether we let your son or daughter know you have been in touch when deciding how best to proceed.
Last updated: SP/July 2008 Legal statement