FAQ
Q. Where is the RUSU Student Advice Service located?
We are based in the Hub, in the Students' Union building on Whiteknights Campus.
Q. Can I see a Student Advisor without an appointment?
Yes. You can visit The Hub during our drop-in sessions (10am until 1pm, Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday and Fridays AND 2pm to 5pm on Wednesdays) and meet with a Duty Advisor
without an appointment. You will be seen on a first come, first served basis. Drop-in sessions
may be restricted to 15 minutes.
Q. Can I see a specific Student Advisor?
During drop-in sessions, you will only be able to see the Duty Advisor.
During appointment sessions, you can arrange to see a specific Student Advisor. Just give
the name of the Student Advisor you would like to see when you visit The Hub. If they are
not available when you visit, you can make an appointment to see them at a later date.
Q. I need some immigration advice but Reception staff will not arrange an
appointment with a specific Student Advisor, why is this?
If you require immigration advice, you will asked to attend during a drop-in session in the
first instance.
The Duty Advisor will take details of your case and if possible, provide immigration advice
during the drop-in session. If they are unable to provide immigration advice during the
drop-in session, the Duty Advisor will arrange afurther appointment for you to see an advisor.
We introduced this new policy inJanuary 2008 so we can manage the level of service we
provide to students requiring immigration advice.
Q. Why do you ask for my telephone number when I make an
appointment?
Occasionally we may need to cancel your appointment due to staff sickness. In these
instances, we will contact you by telephone to rearrange your appointment.
Q. Can I speak to a Student Advisor at the weekend?
No, our service is open Monday to Friday. We are not open during the weekend. If you
urgently need advice at the weekend, please refer to the useful numbers section at the
bottom of this page.
Q. What are the Hub opening times?
The Hub is open Monday to Friday, every weekday (except Bank Holidays and University
Closure dates).
During term-time, The Hub is open from 9am until 6pm. However, on Mondays, Tuesdays
and Thursdays, we remain open until 7pm.
Out of term, The Hub is open from 9am until 5pm.
Q. Do you offer legal advice?
We cannot help with criminal law cases. If we are unable to help you, we will be able to
provide details of other service providers.
Q. How can I comment of the level of service I recieved?
We hope that you will complete our Feedback & Evaluation Form. This helps us know when
we are offering an effective service and also where we need to make improvements.
Q. What should I do if I want to make a complaint?
If you have a complaint, we hope that you will come and talk to us and tell us why you are
unhappy with our service. If you feel that this is not an option, you can follow our
Complaints Procedure.
Complaints Procedure
We aim to provide a service of a standard that is acceptable to all our users. If we fail to do
this, we want to know about it. This will enable us not only to deal with the specific problem,
but also to avoid it happening again. Our primary aim is to respond quickly to any issue that arises.
- If you are unsure of, or wish to make a complaint about any aspect of the Service,
you should in the first instance contact an adviser. This can be done in person or in
writing.
- We require our staff to do their best to resolve any issue. Complaints may be in the
areas of: dissatisfaction with the professional quality of the advice or service,
problems with casework, delays or failure to deliver a service, discourtesy or
unhelpfulness on the part of staff.
- If the matter can not be resolved at this stage, the issue can be referred to the
Membership Services Manager either formally of informally. The Membership Services
Manager will acknowledge the complaint within 5 working days. He/she will investigate
appropriately with reference to this document, RUSU Staff Protocol, RUSU Staff Policies
and Procedures and RUSU Constitution.
- The Membership Services Manager will decide an appropriate course of action. Any
complaints will be handled in confidence and any outcomes communicated only to
those directly involved.
- For complaints relating to immigration advice when the above procedure does not
resolve your complaint, the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner has a
complaints investigation scheme. For more information ask for the OISC Complaints
Scheme brochure held in this office or contact Office of Immigration Services
Commissioner, Complaints Section, 6th Floor, Fleetbank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square,
London, EC4Y 8JX or website www.oisc.org.uk
Q. Will you tell anyone else about my visit?
No. We provide a confidential and discrete service to our users. We will not tell anyone that
you have met with a Student Advisor unless we have your consent to do so.
However, there are specific circumstances where exceptions can arise. Please read our
Confidentiality Policy for further clarification. If you have any concerns about confidentiality,
please feel free to discuss them with a Student Advisor.
Confidentiality Policy
Student Advisors operate independently of the University and any other external body. Your
details will not normally be divulged to any person outside of the service without your
expressed permission. However, circumstances where exceptions to this policy may arise.
By the term confidentiality, we mean:
- Matters sensitive to the client will be discussed in an appropriate and private space.
- Information will only be divulged to third parties outside the Service with the client's
expressed permission. Only information relevant the particular issue will be shared.
- No details will be given to the University, which would enable any student to be
identified without prior consent.
- Case notes and any other recorded information will be kept secure and accessible
only to the Student Advice team. These will be kept for 6 years after which they will
be confidentially destroyed.
- Statistics may be compiled for research, service development and reporting purposes
- all identifying client details will be withheld.
- Our policy will be stated to any third party enquirer and requests for client information
will be declined.
- Clients have the right of access to their own records. Any such requests must be put
in writing and we reserve the right to satisfy ourselves as to the enquirer's identity.
Circumstances where exceptions to this policy may arise include:
- Where the Student Advisor feels there is an issue of serious current/potential self
harm or harm to others.
- Where not to do so would break the law.
Q. What happens to records/case notes taken during an advice session?
Any case notes are kept electronically and paper copies are kept securely. Only members
of the RUSU Student Advice team have access to the case notes. They are not shared with
any member of staff outside of the RUSU Student Advice team. The case notes are
destroyed after 6 years.
Q. Where can I get advice if a RUSU Student Advisor is not available?
If you need to speak to someone urgently, you could contact one of the following advice
services or help lines given below.
If you do not need to speak to someone immediately, you can contact us out of office hours
and leave a message or email. Our telephone number is 0118 378 4100 and our email
address is stu.adv@reading.ac.uk
Useful Numbers
Housing
- Reading Borough Council Housing Advice 0118 9390089
- Reading Borough Council Council Tax 0118 9390656
- Wokingham Borough Council Council Tax 0118 974 6022
- Shelter Housing Advice Helpline 0808 800 4444
- Citizens Advice Bureau 0118 959 8059
- University Accommodation Service 0118 378 8065
Academic
- University Main Switchboard 0118 378 7307
- University Study Advice Team 0118 378 8658
- University Examinations Office 0118 378 8019
- Office of the Independent Adjudicator for HE 0118 959 9813
Finance
- National Debtline 0808 808 4000
- Citizens Advice Bureau 0118 959 8059
- Welfare Rights Unit 0118 950 5296
- Consumer Direct 08454 040506
- Student Loans 0845 607 7577
Immigration
- Immigration Advisory Service 020 7967 1200
- UKCOSA (1-4pm, Monday to Friday) 020 7107 9922
- JCWI (2pm-5pm, Tuesday & Thursday) 020 7251 8706
- Office of Immigration Services Commissioner 020 7211 1500
Crime
- Reading Police 0118 9536000
- Victim Support Line 0845 30 30 900
- Crimestoppers 0800 555 111
Health & Well-being
- University Health Centre 0118 9874 551
- University Dental Centre 0118 9318 649
- University Counselling Service 0118 378 8658
- NHS Direct(24 hr helplineif you are feeling ill) 0845 46 47
- Royal Berkshire Hospital (Accident & Emergency) 0118 322 7020R
- Royal Berkshire Hospital (Overnight Crisis Service) 0800 783 9505
- National Drugs Helpline (FRANK) 0800 77 66 00
- Drink Line 0800 917 8282
- Alcoholics Anonymous 0118 959 7494
- The Samaritans 08457 90 90 90
- Terrence Higgins Trust (AIDS/HIV) 0845 1221 200
- The Florey Unit (Sexual Health) 0118 987 7216
Travel
- National Rail Enquires 08457 484950
- Reading Buses (The Travel Shop) 0118 959 4000
- Reading Tourist Information Centre 0118 956 6226
- Travel Line 0870 608 2608
For other useful helplines visit
www.helplines.org.uk.
