Students Receiving One-to-One Support

Queen’s Register of Support Providers arranges one-to-one support for students with disabilities through freelance Support Providers, skilled and experienced individuals who come from a variety of backgrounds. 

Support Providers are ‘matched’ with students on the basis of the student’s one-to-one support requirements and the Support Provider’s skills / experience and availability.  Support Providers deliver a variety of one-to-one support to encourage students to develop more effective learning strategies to overcome the particular academic challenges associated with their disability/ies.  Typically, students will work with one or more Support Provider depending on their needs and the nature of their disability/ies.  For further information about the various support roles and how your Support Provider(s) will be able to help you with your studies, please see Job Descriptions and Personnel Specifications and refer back to the Queen's Student Guide to One to One Support‌.


Matching
At your Needs Assessment meeting, a Needs Assessor will determine with you whether or not you would benefit from one-to-one support.  A referral is then made to Queen’s Register of Support Providers that details the type of one-to-one support required and the number of support hours recommended for you for the year. You will then be matched as soon as possible with an appropriate Support Provider(s).  At that stage, both you and the Support Provider will be sent each other’s contact details so it is important to regularly check your Queen’s email.

It is the Support Provider’s responsibility to make contact with you initially, to introduce themselves and to make arrangements to meet to discuss your support needs. Thereafter, both you and the Support Provider have equal responsibility for arranging further support meetings. Should you not hear from your Support Provider, please let us know as soon as possible so that remedial action may be taken. Guidelines for matching Support Providers with students can be found here.


Documentation
At the initial meeting, you and your Support Provider should complete and sign a Statement of Agreement which details the nature of support to be provided. If you are using more than one Support Provider, a Statement of Agreement should be completed for each working relationship. The original Agreement is returned to Queen’s Register of Support Providers and you and your Support Provider should retain copies for your own information and as a reminder about agreed meeting times, notes style, turnaround etc. 

If you are receiving Tutor support, your Support Provider will also complete a Learning Plan with you. The Learning Plan aims to capture the key areas that you would like to work with your Support Provider on during the semester. Learning Plans should regarded as flexible, working documents in that they may be reviewed / updated at any point as your needs change in relation to the demands of your course, exam / assignment pressures, fluctuations in your condition etc.  Your Tutor will complete the Learning Plan with you, will give you a copy for your records and will forward the original to Queen’s Register of Support Providers.

Student Responsibilities
A student’s responsibilities towards their Support Provider(s) are summarized in the Student Contract.

Scheduling Support
Both you and your Support Provider are responsible for making arrangements to schedule support for days and times that suit both parties.  If you and your Support Provider are unable to identify a mutually suitable time to meet, Queen’s Register will make every effort to match you with a new one-to-one helper as soon as possible.

As the only timetable information available to the Register is from Queen’s Online (QOL) (often inaccurate, incomplete and subject to change), it is essential that you ensure that you give your Note Taker the correct timetable information (days/times/venues).  Students receiving Note Taker support should also determine with their Note Taker exactly which classes they require cover for ie whether provision includes note taking in tutorials / seminars / practicals as well as lectures. 

Because the Register will not be aware of any timetable / venue changes, it is important to ensure that you advise your Note Taker(s) in advance of any cancellations or changes to your lecture / tutorial / practical timetables. Support Providers are self-employed and will only be paid for the first hour of a cancelled or missed session so as far as possible, please ensure that you let them know of any class changes or cancellations so their time is not wasted.

Please remember that Note Takers are not there to attend in your place. Although you do not need to sit beside them or communicate directly with them during class, you must attend as normal. Only under very special circumstances may your Note Taker attend lectures if you are absent for disability-related reasons and these instances, the support must have been arranged in advance through your Disability Officer.


Cancelling Support
If, for any reason, you need to cancel a support session, please try to give your Support Provider a minimum of 24 hours notice.  Equally, if your Support Provider needs to cancel, the same rule applies.  Please note that failing to provide your Support Provider with at least 24 hours notice may result in the payment of your support being stopped by your funder with the result that your one-to-one support is put on hold. Please see Guidance for Responding to Missed or Cancelled-at-short-Notice: One-to-One Support Sessions for more information.

If you no longer require one-to-one support, it is essential that you inform both your Disability Officer and the Queen’s Register of Support Providers as soon as possible so that the Support Provider can asked to stand down and be allocated to another student where possible.

Places to Work
Support should be given in a neutral environment such as in the University libraries, public libraries, cafés or in one of the bookable rooms available in the Student Guidance Centre.  It should not take place in either your home or the home of your Support Provider.


Health and Safety
Students should be aware of their own health and safety and that of their Support Provider(s) and should not attempt to engage them at any time in personal care, manual handling or lifting.


Timesheet Checking and Signing
After each support session, your Support Provider(s) will ask you to check and confirm their timesheet detailing the support session that has taken place.  It is important that you check each claim carefully and only if you are satisfied that the information is accurate should you sign off the form.  


Quality of Support
If, at any stage, you are unhappy with the quality of support being provided or you are experiencing difficulties with your Support Provider (eg you cannot contact them, they are missing sessions, their notes are substandard, they are turning up late etc), it pleasecontact Queen’s Register of Support Providers with your grievances so that appropriate remedial action may be taken as soon as possible.


Professional Boundaries
Support Providers are bound by a Code of Conduct, standards that require them to behave in a professional manner at all times.  Although your Support Provider(s) will be friendly, supportive and as accommodating as possible, they must work within the remit(s) of their support roles (please see Job Descriptions and Personnel Specifications for guidance).  These limitations will have been clarified with you at your Needs Assessment and should be re-established with you at the start of the one-to-one working relationship.  However, if you feel your Support Provider is not acting in a professional manner at any stage, please contact Queen’s Register of Support Providers as soon as possible so the issue may be investigated / resolved quickly and easily.

Confidentiality
Support Providers recognise and respect the privacy of their students and are required to keep confidential any information relating to them.  However, if your Support Provider becomes concerned about your well-being or feels at any stage that you are becoming a risk to yourself or to others, they are strongly encouraged to break that confidentiality and report their concerns to Queens’ Register and/or to your Disability Officer. 


Please click the following link to access the One-to-One Exam Support Guidelines for Students.


Further Information / Guidance

ORAC: Guidance for Students

If you require clarification or further information on any aspect of your one-to-one support, please contact the team at:

The Register of Support Providers at Queen's University 
Disability Services
Student Guidance Centre
University Road
Belfast
BT7 1NN

Tel: 028 9097 3610/ 028 90 972727
Email: nmhregister@qub.ac.uk