Advice and Representation Centre (ARC)
Service Level Agreement
Purpose of agreement:
This service level agreement outlines what level of service you, as a student client, can expect from the Students' Union’s Advice and Representation Centre (ARC).
Also included are recommendations to help you receive the best possible service.
The key principles:
The service you can expect to receive from ARC is based on the following principles:
Impartiality
Independence
Non-judgemental
Confidentiality
Honesty
Empowerment
In return, you will be expected to approach ARC in an honest, open and respectful manner, and to make a commitment to the course of action agreed with them.
What you can expect from US as an Advice Service:
Impartiality - The ARC advisers may present you with a range of plausible options, founded on the University’s regulations and based on the advisers’ collective experience. An adviser will not advise you on a particular route but will outline to you the consequences of each possible decision.
Independence - The Union is an independent charitable company that is separate from the University, so you can be sure of our impartiality and independence. Our interests lie only in aiding you to reach the outcome that is in your best interests.
Non-judgemental - Advisers will not judge how you have got to your current situation. All cases will be considered and advisers will focus on your current situation and possible solutions to it.
Confidentiality - Excluding cases where there may be a conflict of interest or a requirement by law, an adviser will only discuss the technicalities of cases with other ARC advisers, the Head of Belonging (who currently oversees the running of the department) and Students' Union elected officers. No other person will be involved.
Advisers will only speak to University staff, or any other third party, on your behalf if and when they have your permission.
Honesty – If we feel that you/we are unable to establish grounds, provide sufficient proof in your case, or otherwise assist you in pursuing a course of action, we will be honest and upfront as to the limitations of the support we are able to provide.
In such cases, we may still be able to provide you with advice, but we may not be able to support or assist you to pursue the course of action any further. Similarly, if we feel that there is nothing more we are able to advise, we will let you know.
Empowerment - The ARC is keen to encourage students to take responsibility for their studies and their own lives. Advisers will contact the University, or other third parties, on your behalf, but you will be encouraged to try all appropriate communication channels yourself first.
What is expected of YOU as a Service User:
Honesty - The ARC cannot help you unless all the facts surrounding your issues are conveyed to the advisers. Failure to disclose relevant information may affect the outcome of your case and the advice you are given.
Communication - In order for advisers to perform their role effectively they need to be updated with any developments in your case. If the University, or any third party, communicates directly with you, you should inform the ARC adviser about that correspondence.
Commitment - You are asked to keep to your appointments. If you are unable to attend then a cancellation call is expected. Failure to attend consecutive appointments without notification may result in withdrawal of the appointment service. If you arrive late for an appointment, you may be asked to rearrange if the adviser feels there will not be sufficient time left to deal with your enquiry.
Respect - You are reminded that the ARC operates within the Union’s policies, available on the website. Students using the ARC must adhere to the Union’s policies at all times. Any evidence of a breach of Union policies may result in an investigation and formal disciplinary action by the Union and, where appropriate, the University.
General Procedures:
Getting in Touch:
Our service is accessible to you in the following ways:
- Drop in, in person and speak to our ARC admin team
- Live Chat: This service is available Monday to Friday between 9-5 pm
- Email - advice.wolvesunion@wlv.ac.uk
- Telephone: we operate between 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday on 01902 322038
Our normal service opening hours at City Campus are 9-5pm Monday to Friday.
However you contact the ARC Service, whether by email, phone or in person, we will aim to acknowledge your enquiry within five working days (subject to availability)
Our procedure:
We operate using a queuing system and an online enquiry form please see the link below whereby you can tell us about your enquiry:
www.wolvesunion.org/advice/enquiry
Your enquiry will be assessed and triaged by an ARC administrator as to what would be the appropriate course of action and support you require.
Our ARC Advisers can advise and support you on issues such as the academic regulations, housing and finance, where appropriate (if the ARC Administrator is unable to answer/address your enquiry) your case will be allocated to an adviser for full advice. The adviser will contact you in due course to discuss your issue.
Advisers will process and deal with your enquiry by offering you an appointment if needed, researching your case/enquiry and/or engaging in dialogue with the University, and third parties, on your behalf (and with your permission).
In other circumstances where your enquiry may be straightforward the adviser will provide you with advice and shortly close your case record.
We record all case records/files on a case management database for good practice, continuity and quality assurance.
Allocation of Casework:
Cases are allocated out to advisers on a first-come-first served basis, at point of triage. Clients will not usually be able to request to be dealt with by a preferred adviser, although if the enquiry is existing, it may be passed to the last adviser who has dealt with it.
Keeping clients informed about the progress of their case:
Clients will be kept informed of the progress of their case, in their preferred means of contact – usually by email or telephone.
Representation at University Meetings:
There are times when you may be invited to attend a meeting with the University where it may be worthwhile taking a representative from the Students’ Union with you.
This service is subject to availability and when you make your request, the adviser will first discuss your case with you to establish whether it would help for a representative to attend the meeting with you. This will usually be the case where the matter is not straightforward, of a serious nature, or another scenario where this may be necessary.
Meeting Support:
In advance of the meeting the adviser will go through the contents and provide you with general guidance as to what is likely to happen and the process.
At the meeting, if a representative is available they can support you with clarifying any questions posed to you, but will not be able to answer for you. They can provide you with support only.
After your meeting, an adviser can help you reflect and offer support on the next stage of the process, as well as provide guidance on Academic Regulations. The Adviser can explain and clarify procedures before, during and after meetings.
Counselling:
Personal circumstances may be discussed in relation to your issue, but advice will not be offered on how to deal with your emotions. The ARC advisers are not trained counsellors, but they will be able to refer you to local counselling services and other wellbeing support available.
Referrals:
When appropriate, advisers may refer or signpost you to other services, either within the University, or externally.
Legal Advice:
The ARC does not provide legal advice and may be limited in the representation and support we are able to provide you, where matters are of a legal nature. We can, however, signpost you to external legal services and representation, although we are unable to recommend or vouch for any particular service.
Case Closures:
You may be informed that we have closed your case, even before your issue is resolved if:
- You repeatedly fail to engage with advice given to you by an adviser.
- In the professional opinion of an adviser, there is nothing else the ARC can do for you in this instance.
- You breach Union policies – as we reserve the right to withhold our services immediately from any student who may have breached the Union’s policies, pending further investigations.
Please note: If your case is closed you will not be prevented from using the ARC service again if a new issue arises, except where the closure of a previous case led to a ban from using Student Union services.
Confirming Information in Writing:
We are happy to confirm/follow up in writing, advice/information given to the client. This will be done by email.
Feedback:
In the interests of continual service improvement, we invite clients to feedback comments and welcome suggestions for the ARC service to be made via www.wolvesunion.org/advice/feedback
Complaints:
Complaints against an adviser or any aspect of the ARC service can be made direct to the Head of Belonging in the first instance; please email advice.wolvesunion@wlv.ac.uk and address your complaint to Tom Clarke.
Please click here to see the Student Unions complaints procedure.
Code of Conduct:
The SU aims to provide premises for our members and visitors to feel welcome and to ensure they are able to enjoy the facilities in safety and comfort.
The SU aims to provide our staff members and sabbatical officers with the ability to operate in a safe and secure environment.
Behaviours that are considered unreasonable may result in authorised action being taken. These guidelines also run alongside the Students' Union Equal Opportunities policy to establish what would be considered as incidents of unreasonable behaviour and are separate to the established disciplinary offences stated in the UWSU Bye-Laws.
Unreasonable behaviours may necessitate complaints being made and/or requests for removal from the SU premises by campus security. Repeated occurrences of these types of behaviour are likely to lead to a higher level of exclusion and/or withdrawal of facility usage.
Accessibility:
ARC is easily accessible for wheelchair users. Each office is wheelchair friendly with easy access to ensure security and privacy. There is an accessible (all genders) toilet within the SU on City Campus and a Unisex at Walsall SU.
We endeavour to meet the diverse needs of our student population and our service is committed to anti-discriminatory practice in all its work.
Please contact us if you wish to discuss access to our services.
Please click here for the Students Union full accessibility statement.
Data Protection:
Under the Data Protection Act 1998 clients have a right of access to the personal data which we hold about them, subject to certain exemptions. Subject Access Requests must be in writing and for the attention of the Head of Belonging.
In order to retain Advice Quality Standard (AQS) accreditation, case files will occasionally be reviewed by a third party (AQS assessor) for the purposes of auditing quality of service. Where possible, all personal data will be anonymised.
Updated August 2023