Robert Gordon University (RGU) – Aberdeen’s university of choice for thousands of staff and students - has a well-established reputation as an innovative and modern workplace, with multiple awards and recognition of our courses and Schools.
You will provide high-quality advice and support to disabled students by assessing and identifying their needs and recommending relevant and personalised reasonable adjustments that enable them to access their studies and remove barriers to their success.
You will hold a student caseload and provide a range of support and interventions, both through internal resources and by signposting to external agencies, to help remove potential disability related barriers to a student’s learning.
In carrying out this role, you will support students who are neurodiverse, and those who have specific learning differences, mental health conditions or physical disabilities. You will regularly support students who, for reasons related to their disability and/or barriers to inclusion, are struggling with their studies or other aspects of student life. You will also provide guidance to university staff who support and otherwise engage with disabled students.
You will be a dedicated professional with a related professional qualification in mental health or disability support. You will have significant experience supporting students with a wide range of mental and physical health conditions, neurodiversity, and SpLDs—ideally within a Higher Education environment. You will demonstrate confidence in providing clear, informed guidance to both academic and administrative staff, regardless of their familiarity with disability legislation. A strong commitment to professional boundaries and a proven ability to support students from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds are essential.
This role is offered on a part time basis, working 28 hours per week over 4 days, although there is flexibility to work the hours over 5 days.
In keeping with RGU's commitment to work/life balance you will have the opportunity to work from home for a portion of the working week (dependent on service requirements). You will also benefit from a generous pension scheme, 46 days annual leave (including statutory days) an onsite nursery and sports centre, as well as a range of voluntary health and travel benefits.
We are committed to attracting and engaging a diverse range of staff and fostering a culture where everyone feels welcome, comfortable to express their ideas, and can reach their full potential. For more information, please visit Our Diverse Workforce pages.
To apply please submit your CV along with a cover letter detailing your suitability for the role against the requirements set out in the person specification.
RESPONSIBLE TO: Inclusion Manager
RESPONSIBLE FOR: No supervisory responsibility
PURPOSE OF POST: You will work closely with the Inclusion Manager, Inclusion Administrators, other Inclusion Coordinators, Needs Assessors, Mental Health Mentors, Student Counsellors, Student Life Hub and Study Skills Tutors to provide face to face and remote appointments for the university’s students. You will also liaise with colleagues across the wider Student Life team and the University, including lecturers, course leaders and professional services staff, to take a coordinated and multi-disciplinary approach to student support.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES:
- Acting on the recommendations of needs assessments, carried out by qualified Needs Assessors, to ensure appropriate support is put in place for students
- Assisting students to access specialist funded support such as Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) to help meet their individual support needs, as recommended in their needs assessment
- Provide tailored, needs-based support to students, either through one-off meetings or via regular on-going support
- Holding student wellbeing drop-in sessions to optimise the provision of support to students
- Monitoring levels of risk and escalating any students of concern without delay to a senior member of staff
- Participating in case conferences or meetings to support a Team Around A Student approach
- Writing up and maintaining accurate records of student engagements
- Providing guidance and advice to university staff about the practical application of reasonable adjustments, and the interpretation of the Equality Act 2010
- Providing advice to senior managers in the Student Life team
- Participating in outreach events such as University Open Days and Welcome Events, to promote the service
- Participating in an on-call rota to support colleagues who work out with normal office hours, by providing instruction and guidance regarding student welfare or urgent situations.
ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
Qualifications and Professional Memberships
- A related professional qualification in mental health (such as mental health nursing, social work, counselling, or psychology) or disability support (such as Occupational Therapy).
Knowledge and Skills
- A thorough understanding of the practical application of the Equality Act 2010 in a university setting, and a strong working knowledge of the application of anticipatory and responsive reasonable adjustments.
- The ability to identify and manage risk, knowing when to act and when to escalate students of concern to the senior team or emergency services.
- Ability to work calmly under pressure and in response to students presenting in moments of crisis.
- Excellent administrative and record keeping skills.
- Demonstrable ability to use IT systems e.g. Student Records systems, and other software appropriate to the role.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Excellent attention to detail.
- The ability to work effectively and accurately under pressure and to tight deadlines
Experience
- Significant, demonstrable experience of supporting students with a range of mental and physical health conditions, and/or neurodiversity/SpLDS, preferably in a Higher Education setting.
- Demonstrable experience of engaging with and providing guidance and support clearly and with confidence to administrative and academic colleagues who have varied levels of understanding of disability legislation.
- Demonstrable experience of working within clear professional boundaries
- Demonstrable experience of working with students with diverse needs and varied cultural backgrounds.
Behaviour 1: Communication - Ability to receive, understand and convey information requiring careful explanation and information of a complex or conceptual nature, in a clear and accurate manner
Behaviour 2: Pastoral Care and Welfare - Experience of calming and reassuring those with work/study related problems who may be experiencing distress, dealing with difficult welfare situations or confidential matters and providing support for those in considerable distress or requiring long-term complex support
Behaviour 3: Service Delivery - Experience of exploring and adapting a service to meet customers’ expectations and also identifying ways of improving standards
Behaviour 4: Team Work and Motivation - Experience of being a team leader, agreeing clear team objectives and organising and delegating tasks according to individual abilities
