THE POST

Faculty /Service: Education and Academic

Services Post: Education Support Advisor

Reference: S81531

Grade: E

Reporting To: Pathway Lead - Education Welfare and Wellbeing Promotion

Responsible For: Education Welfare Officer

Location: Exeter

Job Description
Organisational context and reporting line:

In collaboration with the academic Faculties, the Education and Academic Services (EAS) Directorate
provides all of the key administration and education support activities that underpin the student experience
from Freshers’ Week to Graduation. Service divisions within EAS include Library and Culture Services,
Student Employability and Academic Success, and Education and Student Support. This role sits within
the Education and Student Support area of responsibility.

All teams within Education and Student Support are asked to work collaboratively and innovatively as “one
team” across wide-ranging but interdependent operational delivery remits for which excellent customer
service relies on all areas of responsibility to work together and ensure an excellent staff and student
experience. Education and Student Support teams include Timetabling, Examinations, Student Records,
the Student Information Desk (SID), Community Liaison, International Transition, Education Support
(Hubs), Welfare and Wellbeing Services, and Graduation.

Team
This role is operationally based within the Education Support Team which provides the core and critical
operational support for teaching administration and support for delivery of all University of Exeter taught
programmes for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students. The Education Support team is a large
team of approximately 90 staff working across multiple “hub” locations and across three campuses and is
responsible for supporting an excellent experience for staff and students for teaching support.

Formal line-management and professional service standards and specialised team support for this role sits
with the University’s Wellbeing and Welfare team. This team comprises Wellbeing Services which includes
Accessibility and clinically qualified mental health practitioners, and University-wide Welfare team for
general student support in residences and in academic Colleges. On a day to day basis, the work of the
Education Welfare Advisor will be managed by the Pathway Lead - Education Welfare who will have
responsibility for oversight and management of all Education Welfare Advisors across hubs. However, the
Education Welfare Advisor will be expected to maintain an essential communicative and casework
relationship within the programme Education Support team to facilitate individual HWSS case
management.
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Main purpose of the role

This role will provide effective, professional guidance, advice and signposting to students on a range
of issues, in particular issues relating to welfare, health, personal problems and support for study
plans for academic progression. This role does not directly itself provide specialist practitioner support
or clinically qualified treatment.

Working as an embedded and fully collaborative member of the Education Support Team, the post
holder will play a key role in providing effective, professional and sensitive support to students who
are experiencing welfare difficulties that are impacting their ability to study. A key part of this work will
be to manage the University’s Health Welfare and Support for Study (HWSS) process in relation to
individual students, working with academic colleagues and in partnership with programme Education
Support team staff for taught programmes to establish reasonable and effective methods of support
for study or academic adjustments for students in situations of difficulty or with complex or unusual
circumstances, and to signpost and recommend to both internal and external specialist service and
treatment providers where necessary. This role is allocated to the University’s Streatham and St.
Luke’s campuses but all role-holders in the context of Student Services are expected to have a flexible
and adaptive aptitude and may be asked to provide critical support across all activities or locations in
order to meet peak demand needs across the service when these occur.

Main duties and accountabilities

1. To act as the lead in the management and organisation of the HWSS process for individual student cases,
from acting as point of first enquiry for a concern, through to the management and facilitation of the highest
levels of the process. This includes discussing issues with students, conducting HWSS meetings with
students and appropriate partner colleagues, establishing support for study plans with students, and follow
up and monitoring of any improvements, or other outcomes for each case.
2. To act as the first point of contact for academic and professional services staff in relation to welfare
expertise, arising situations and individual student circumstances.
3. To act as the first point of liaison and ensure proactive collaboration case management with the Welfare
Caseworkers for difficult and complex student support cases where liaison with external agencies is
required.
4. Work with colleagues in academic colleges and programme education support teams to develop, improve
and manage processes that identify and support vulnerable students; e.g. attendance monitoring systems,
mitigation or student induction programmes and workshops.
5. Liaise with relevant services (Wellbeing Services, Residence Life, Welfare Caseworkers, Accommodation
Services etc.) to ensure that contact is maintained for students who are temporarily absent (interruption,
suspension on safety grounds) as an outcome of the HWSS process and establish actions and steps to
authorise or facilitate return of the student.
6. To develop and enhance support processes for HWSS and other general welfare areas and to share good
practice and align application of processes across the Education Welfare team. To review policies and
processes to ensure they meet the University’s regulations and the requirements of the TQA and other
statutory requirements in conjunction with Directors of Education and Senior Tutors.
7. Along with the Education Welfare Officer, ensure that accurate records, meeting minutes, letters and
documentation for both individual student cases and team standard practice are kept with appropriate
confidentiality standards maintained.
8. To maintain web-based information for staff and students regarding HWSS and general welfare. ;
9. To work closely with the academic leads ensuring that practices and processes are fit for purpose and
enhance the student experience.
10. Promotion of support services to university staff (personal tutors and other front line staff) to raise
awareness of potentially vulnerable students and to encourage and support staff in referral techniques.
11. Maintain a thorough knowledge and understanding of policies, issues and legislation relating to support
for vulnerable adults, including current provision and best practice at other higher education institutions.
12. Communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences, including through the delivery of workshops,
presentations and training sessions on HWSS/Welfare/Wellbeing whilst also being expected to attend,
contribute to and on occasion chair relevant forums, working groups and committees.
13. Provide a non-judgemental, effective and respected service to students, several of whom may be

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 experiencing challenging situations and require particular care and support
14. Provide line management to other team members as appropriate, including performance management,
workload allocation and rota assignments, PDR leadership and team motivation and mentoring.
15. To provide support for appropriate College meetings, committees and working groups related to HWSS
policy process or other general welfare support.
16. Commitment to both attend and contribute to mandatory specialist and bespoke training as required by
the University in relation to potential student welfare situations and application of policy and process.

This job description summarises the main duties and accountabilities of the post and is not comprehensive.
The postholder may be required to undertake other duties of similar level and responsibility.

Person Specification

Competency Essential Desirable

Attainments/Qualifications • Educated to degree level or • Management Training
equivalent relevant experience • Relevant specialist
qualification
Knowledge & Experience • Experience of working in a • Knowledge of Higher
higher education, or similar Education administrative
setting, with students or young systems and processes
people. • Experience / knowledge of
• Experience of coordinating Crisis Management and
direct support to individuals Risk Assessment
with health and wellbeing procedures
needs, including mental health • Experience of multi-agency
difficulties, managing sensitive work, for example police
and complex cases effectively. liaison, social care.
• Experience of supporting non- • Experience of carrying out
traditional and/or under- risk assessments to ensure
represented students, (mature, appropriate support is
local, BME students). offered.
• Experience of supporting • Proven experience of
students who have been partnership working within
affected by bullying / a voluntary, community or
harassment. statutory health related
• Experience of managing environment
projects in a higher education • Experience of web/VLE
environment, particularly in updating.
relation to the review,
development and
implementation of new or
improved service policies,
procedures or protocols
• Experience of working
collaboratively and proactively
in a team and with multiple
team members to deliver to
multiple objectives and high
service standards.
• Proven ability to create and
deliver effective training for
groups and individuals
• Experience of managing a
team, including performance
appraisal, performance

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 management, and workload
planning

Skills and Understanding • Understanding of both internal • Identifying areas for

and external regulations, process improvement,
policies and process drivers making recommendations
relevant to this field, and successfully
confidentiality practices and implementing change
legal requirements under Data
Protection
• Excellent organisational and
planning skills, with ability to
manage own workload, set
priorities and work to strict
deadlines, while remaining
calm under pressure.
• Excellent oral and written
communication skills, with an
ability to communicate complex
information clearly to a variety
of audiences.
• Excellent IT skills including
proficiency in MS office
(especially, Excel, Word and
PowerPoint) and web based
programmes.
• Excellent attention to detail and
ability to provide accurate
information
• Proven ability to think laterally
and solve complex problems
• Proven ability to interrogate
complex data and produce
evidence-based
recommendations to inform
strategy and planning.
Behavioural Characteristics • Resilient disposition with the
ability to hold sensitive and
difficult conversations with
people in a distressed or
acutely affected state.
• Ability to present a professional
image at all times
• Ability to obtain cooperation by
developing excellent working
relationships with a wide range
of people
• Ability to contribute to a
positive team working culture
and motivate others especially
in times of high demand and
critical delivery
• Adaptable to the demands of
working in an area of rapid

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 change and development, and
an understanding of these
within a HE context
Circumstances • Willingness to work outside
normal working hours when
required by business need.

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