Student support

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As a student of UHI Orkney, we can offer you support of different kinds. You can chat to your course tutor for advice on your course or you may prefer to get more general help through UHI's support services, but whether it's for study skills, counselling, disability matters or feedback through the red button service, don't forget we're here to help.

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Student info content

Student info

Student info

Course tutors

All students will be allocated a course tutor. Your course tutor will take an active part in your support and guidance while you are with UHI Orkney.

Equalities

UHI Orkney staff endeavour to provide a positive learning environment which is non-discriminatory and inclusive. If however you feel you have been discriminated against or have witnessed others being treated unfairly, please either inform your course tutor, a member of the Senior Management Team or, if you prefer use the anonymous suggestion boxes outside Reception, Student's study room.

Stay safe

If you are worried about something that is happening to you or someone you know, at UHI Orkney there are trained people who can make sure that you can get the help that you need. They will treat everything you say in confidence.

Protection Co-ordinator – Tel: 01856 569343 or e: Lynn.Tait@uhi.ac.uk

Protection Advisor – Tel: 01856 569260 or e: Derek.Aiken@uhi.ac.uk

E-Safety top 10 tips

Disability statement

This is available here or from Reception.

Information for Care Leavers

For more information on how we can support Care Leavers please visit: https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/students/support/care-leavers/

Learning support content

Learning support

Learning support

Student Support Services

UHI Orkney has a support service to help students with their studies. If you are about to start a course, or are on a course, tell us if you think you may need additional help, even if only for a temporary period. This could include support with coursework, health issues, financial issues, accessing the building/facilities, or any other area.

Should you wish to speak to the support tutor contact your course tutor and they will arrange an appointment for you. Alternatively you can contact the support tutor directly in room G3.15, by phoning (01856) 569 225 or by e-mailing Kerri.Bickmore@uhi.ac.uk Staff respect confidentiality.

Help with your studies

We can help you with every aspect of study skills - like Harvard referencing, RefWorks and avoiding plagiarism. UHI's website is excellent and is being continually upgraded.

Essential student skills

Counselling content

Counselling

Counselling

There are a number of organisations in Orkney offering counselling services.

Right There

Right There Counselling Service is for children and young people living in Orkney. They might be experiencing problems with stress, depression, anxiety, feeling down, self-harm, not coping, feeling alone or bullying.

Right There provides online and telephone counselling, as well as group and one-to-one counselling services at a range of youth venues, as well as at the office at the address below. This is a free, professional and confidential service that welcomes referrals from all individuals and agencies.

Contact Right There

Right There provide an in-college counselling service to our students. The Right There Orkney office is open Monday to Friday from 9.00am - 5.00pm. We offer flexible appointment times, including evenings and weekends. Please contact us for further details.

Main Office:

Dunkirk, Shore Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1LG

You can also find us on social media:

Relationship Scotland - Orkney (RSO)

RSO provides a range of services to support individuals, couples and families and promote positive relationships. It is a voluntary organisation affiliated to the national body Relationships Scotland.

  • Individual and Relationship Counselling helps individuals and couples explore difficulties and find ways of moving forward. We are now able to offer telephone counselling for individuals by counsellors who have attended specific accredited training.
  • Youth Counselling and Play Therapy are available for younger individuals to explore difficulties and worries.
  • Substance Misuse Service is available to offer targeted support and therapy to individuals and family members affected by alcohol or drug misuse.
  • Family Mediation helps parents whose relationship has broken down to communicate with each other and to make practical arrangements for their children.
  • Child Contact Centre helps children and young people affected by family breakdown to keep in touch with adults who are important to them.
  • Family Connections Project helps families to work towards reducing conflict, strengthen family relationships and improve wellbeing. We can also help establish and maintain contact between parents, family members and children they no longer live with.

For further information, contact:

Relationships Scotland - Orkney
Orkney Counselling & Support Centre
1st Floor, Travel Centre
West Castle Street
Kirkwall
KW15 1GU

Scottish Charity No SCO23164, Company No: 380628

Samaritans Orkney

There is always someone to talk to...

Samaritans is there when things get too much. We’ll listen to how you feel, no matter what the reason is. We won’t tell you what to do, we won’t tell anyone about you or your call or e-mail unless that is what you want. You don’t even have to tell us your name. We can call you back if you prefer.

We’re here 24 hours a day, every day of the year – whenever you need us.

The Orkney Samaritans branch operates at the following times:

  • Tuesday - 20.00 to 00.00
  • Wednesday/Thursday - 22.00 to 02.00
  • Saturday/Sunday - 22.00 to 02.00

Call 01856 875875 (local call charges apply).

 

Ok Rehab

OK Rehab specialises in local drug and alcohol rehab and addiction treatment. This treatment is available via both inpatient and outpatient treatment providers. We also work with clinics that are able to facilitate treatment taking place in your own home, who are able to provide professional intervention and home detoxification.

We are UK-based and here's the link where we operate: https://www.okrehab.org/local-areas/

http://www.okrehab.org

Email: info@okrehab.org

Contact: 0800 326 5559

 

Counselling Directory

Counselling Directory provides a huge support network of counsellors, enabling visitors to find a counsellor close to them and appropriate for their needs.

Health content

Health

Health

Nordhaven Clinic

Offering a range of sexual health advice and treatment on any sexual health issue, including:

  • Contraception
  • STI testing and treatment
  • Healthcare and advice for gay & bisexual people
  • Pregnancy tests
  • Sexuality issues
  • Free condoms
  • Sexual health checks
  • Emergency Contraception

Open 9am-5pm Monday- Friday (for appointments and phone consultations).

Every Wed 3.30pm -5.30pm: Young People's Drop-in. No need to make an appointment, just drop in!

Phone 01856 888 917 to make an appointment, or to speak to one of the doctors.

Emergency Contraception can be effective if taken up to 3 days after unprotected sex, and is most effective if taken within 24 hours (1 day). It is available free of charge from the following places: Orkney Sexual Health Service; Boots and Sutherlands in Kirkwall and Stromness and the Balfour Hospital Receiving Unit (ask at main reception desk to see a nurse - you don't need to say what it's for if you don't want to). Tel: 01856 888000 or you can also visit their website

Nordhaven Clinic
Health Centre
New Scapa Road
Kirkwall
KW15 1BX

CAB content

CAB

CAB

The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is available to all students regardless of race, gender, sexuality or disability. The service is free, impartial, independent, and confidential. The CAB can give advice on a wide range of topics including the following:

  • Benefits – trained advisers can check your entitlement to all benefits e.g. jobseekers allowance, employment supplement allowance, disability benefits, tax credits, council tax and housing benefit.
  • Consumer – advice on your rights can be given on a wide range of consumer issues e.g. faulty or shoddy goods, second hand goods, poor or unsatisfactory workmanship, scams etc.
  • Employment - the bureau can give advice on a wide range of employment issues i.e. holiday pay, sick pay, maternity pay, fair and unfair dismissal, terms and conditions of employment etc.
  • Family - advice can be given on most relationship issues i.e. children, relationship breakdown, bereavement etc.
  • Housing - guidance can be given on Housing Law concerning tenancies, homelessness repairs and rents.
  • Health – independent support and advice can be given if you wish to make comment or complaint about NHS issues. Support is also offered to patients with non-medical problems that are impacting on their health. Assistance, support and advice on a wide range of issues e.g. benefits, money, employment etc. is also provided to cancer sufferers and their families.
  • Legal – advice on civil legal matters is given by a certified paralegal. This includes the provision of diagnostic advice and emergency representation in court for unrepresented clients pursuing or defending small claims and summary causes, evictions, rent arrears etc.
  • Money Advice – trained money advisers can support you with money management, prepare financial statements and repayment plans and negotiate on your behalf with creditors.

 

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

Anchor Buildings
6 Bridge Street
Kirkwall

Tel: 01856 875266.

Opening hours

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 10:00am -12:30pm and from 1:30 - 3:30pm. Also Thursday by appointment only.

Careers content

Careers

Careers

Careers support

In addition to support provided as part of your course or by your course tutor, students at UHI Orkney also have access to specialist careers services:

For those studying HNC and above, the UHI Careers and Employability Centre offer services to all university students, and to graduates within two years of graduating. All services are free, confidential and impartial. To get in touch visit UHI Career Centre.

For students studying Further Education qualifications such as NCs or SVQs, then Skills Development Scotland’s My World of Work can provide you with a wide range of employability information or you can call by the Skills Development Scotland Centre on Albert Street, Kirkwall and ask to speak to an adviser.

If you’re unsure of who to contact you can also get in touch with Jenna Harper in marketing and communications, who can help guide you in the right direction.

Developing the Young Workforce Orkney can help you by giving you access to employers who can support your learning programmes and help meet the Career Education Standard

Finance content

Finance

Finance

Before you enrol on a course of study through UHI Orkney, you should also think about how you will fund your studies.  It is important that you have submitted your application for fees and any personal financial support you may be entitled to.

If you are unsure of what funding is available please contact Student Funding who can advise of the kinds of funding available and how you can apply for them.

Contact details:

Student Funding

Tel: 01856 569202

E-mail: OCRevenue@uhi.ac.uk

We provide support for all of our students as well as people thinking about coming to college, so throughout your studies here you can get information, advice and guidance.

Related documents and links

Further Education:

Higher Education:

External links

There are many scholarships, discretionary funds and bursaries available to our students through the university. 

It may also be worth checking with your local Community Council or Development Trust as they sometimes have funding available to support students.

SDS Individual Training Accounts (ITA)

Get up to £200 towards the cost of a training course with an SDS Individual Training Account (ITA)

You could use the money to build the skills you need for a job. Or get some training to take your career to the next level. Whatever you want to do, there is a wide range of ITA approved courses on offer.

And because it's not a loan you don't have to pay it back.

Sounds good?

Start searching for an ITA approved course and apply online.

Is an Individual Training Account right for me?

You could receive up to £200 towards a single course or training episode per year. ITA funding could be right for you if you're:

  • 16 or over, not in education or involved in any other SDS funded programme
  • Unemployed and looking to get back into work
  • Employed in a low-income job and looking to progress in your career
  • Resident in Scotland

How to apply

You can search for ITA courses and apply online. You’ll need a valid email address and your National Insurance number to hand.

Once you’ve applied for funding, we’ll send you a confirmation email with instructions on how to book your course. To book a place, you’ll need to prove your income. We’ll send details of the documents you can use in your confirmation email.

You'll have eight weeks from the time your application is successful to make a booking.

Courses costing more than £200

We’ll pay up to £200 towards the cost of your ITA approved training course. You’ll pay any outstanding balance direct to the training provider.

Accessibility

We want to make sure ITA is accessible to all learners.

If you have a special requirement or a disability and would like some additional help, please contact our helpline on 0800 917 8000. We have a Textphone service for customers who are deaf: 0141 573 4883.

You can also email us at ITA@sds.co.uk

Forces personnel

Under the temporary non-resident arrangements, forces personnel are treated as being resident at the establishment where they are based. If they are ordinarily resident* in Scotland but are serving overseas, they would be eligible.

*Ordinarily resident means that you live in Scotland year after year by choice, apart from temporary or occasional absences such as holidays or business trips. Living here totally or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education may not count as being ordinarily resident. If you are not a UK national, you must be settled in Scotland (as set out in the Immigration Act 1971) immediately before the date on which you made your application.

Support Webpages content

Support Webpages

Support Webpages

➕ Spectrum Life - Our 24/7 Student Assistant Programme offering immediate support with unlimited access to phone, text and online chat helplines 365 days a year. ➕ Cyber Safety – information and guidance on all aspects of online safety, with a number of useful internal and external links

➕ Gender Based and Sexual Violence – includes links to specialist services, and information about the student e-module

➕ Safeguarding – contains contact details for local Safeguarding Leads and Deputes, with links to local webpages and a downloadable Safeguarding Referral Form. Includes information for the UHI Residencies

➕ Support for Victims of Crime – information and useful links

➕ Money Matters – information and guidance on all aspects of student finance, including budgeting, with a number of useful internal and external links and local (Funding) contact details

➕ Scholarships and Bursaries – details of internal and external funds, as well as links to other websites (such as SAAS). Can be filtered, or viewed as an A-Z list

➕ Widening Access – has links to the dedicated webpages for students from Priority Groups, as well as information on our Widening Access Framework

➕ Disability Matters – guidance on the additional support available at UHI

➕ Safe Travel – travel safety advice for students ➕ United to Prevent Suicide - a social movement dedicated to suicide prevention ➕ Your Housing Rights - a guide for people at risk of housing crisis

 

Togetherall content

Togetherall

Togetherall

Togetherall is a digital mental health support service which is available online, 24/7, and is completely anonymous so you can express yourself freely and openly. Access a wealth of useful resources and work through tailored self-help courses covering topics such as anxiety, sleep, weight management, depression and many more.

It is offered via Orkney Island's Council to young persons (age 16-31) with an Orkney home postcode.

Join the community here