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If You Are Concerned About a Student

Find out when and how to raise a concern about a student's wellbeing or safety with Student Support and Wellbeing Services (SSWS).

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Who this Information is For

This information is for UCL students and staff members, as well as, third parties who may be concerned about the wellbeing or safety of a UCL student.

If a Student is in Immediate Danger

If you have concerns that a student is in immediate danger of hurting themselves or others, phone 999 or the NHS Crisis Team.

If you have called 999, and you are on campus, you must let Security know that emergency services are coming so that they will be able to wait for them and accompany them to your location.  Call Security on +44 (0)20 7679 2222, (222 from an internal phone) or use the SafeZone app (press the blue button for Security). You should wait with the student for the emergency services to arrive.

If the student requires medical attention, find out if there is first-aider in your department that you can contact to assist. 

Should you deem it safe (i.e. if the student has the mental capacity to keep themselves safe) for them to walk or get a taxi to A&E, make sure they have a friend to accompany them. The friend will need to stay with them until they are registered and taken through to be assessed. UCLH is the closest A&E to the UCL Bloomsbury campus, and Whipps Cross is the closest to UCL East. Find your nearest A&E department.

If You're Concerned About a Student's Wellbeing or Safety

If you are concerned about a student's wellbeing or safety, please complete the Student of Concern Form to inform Student Support and Wellbeing Services (SSWS), providing as much information as you can.

If you are submitting a Student of Concern because you haven’t been able to reach a student:

  • Have you tried calling the student?
  • Have you used their second email address?
  • Have you given the student at least 24 hours to respond?

For UCL staff only :

  • Have you informed your Faculty Tutor? Please provide the name of your Faculty Tutor? (academic departments)
  • Have you informed your Head of Department? Please provide the name of your Head of Department? (PS departments).

Complete the Student of Concern Form

You can also contact us through askUCL if you are a student.

Some of the circumstances in which the Student of Concern Form is most often used include (but are not limited to):

  • A student has stopped engaging meaningfully or completely with their study, and you believe that this may be due to health and wellbeing issues.
  • A student has shared suicidal feelings with you and you need to ensure they receive the appropriate support.
  • A student’s behaviour is disrupting the learning process in class and you believe that this may be due to a health or wellbeing issue. 
  • A student is showing signs of risky behaviour which may involve alcohol or drugs. 

    How the Student of Concern Form is Monitored

    The Student of Concern Form and the SSWS email accounts and phone number are monitored between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Friday. Within these hours, we aim to respond to any concerns as soon as possible within a 48-hour timeframe. 

    The form is not monitored during weekends, bank holidays and the university’s closure periods.

    What SSWS do When We Receive a Student of Concern Form

    Depending on the concerns raised, we may do one or more of the following:

    • Contact the student and offer support. We ordinarily rely on the student choosing to engage with support.
    • Contact the person who submitted the form to discuss their concerns and offer advice on how they can support the student.
    • Liaise with other support services within or outside of UCL who may already be supporting the student.
    • Liaise with appropriate members of the student’s personal support networks to help ensure the student receives support from those who are closest to them.
    • Support the student to access appropriate external services such as a GP, local crisis services or psychological and psychiatric services
    • Where a student appears to be missing, work with UCL's Security team and the police to try to ensure the student is safe.

    How SSWS will keep you informed after you’ve submitted a Student of Concern Form

    We will confirm that we’ve received your request and will follow up with the student as appropriate. Depending on the circumstances, we may not be in a position to share any further information with you. However, if your concerns persist, please contact us again. 

    In other cases, we may establish ongoing communication with you, in order to jointly support the student and help keep them safe and well. 

    Confidential Discussions 

    If you are a member of the UCL community, and you are concerned that a student may be feeling suicidal, we encourage you to complete the Student of Concern Form. This would enable us to offer support to the student as soon as possible. We will not be able to take action if the student’s details are kept confidential.

    Look After Yourself

    It is important to remember that if you are concerned about a student, you do not have to deal with this alone. Get others involved where you can and seek expert help if appropriate. You may find it helpful to seek professional advice to discuss how the issues have affected you. If you're a student, SSWS will be able to help you.

    If you're a UCL staff member, please discuss support with your line manager and/or get in touch with Workplace Health.

    Find out more about how to take care of yourself with our bank of mental health and wellbeing resources.