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Blackfriars Hall > Our Community > Blackfriars Hall Student Information > Health and Welfare > Wellbeing and Welfare at Blackfriars

Wellbeing and Welfare at Blackfriars

Academics at Oxford can be intense. On top of your studies, you may also be spending your first years away from home, or away from your home country, so it is important that you take time for your welfare too. This may seem like a lot to handle, but the vibrant community at Oxford and the support structures here at Blackfriars can make managing your wellbeing much easier. If you’re struggling, you should always bear in mind that we at Blackfriars are here to support you, and we will do our very best to make your time here special and rewarding.

Your Welfare at Blackfriars

The flourishing of all our students at Blackfriars Hall is a key principle of ours,  stemming from the Hall’s Dominican foundations. As a small and friendly academic community, student welfare matters can be dealt with promptly and compassionately. We have a number of staff at the hall devoted to assisting your welfare needs, but the Hall also supports a number of informal pathways that can be used to improve your wellbeing . You should choose the best route for your needs as you see fit, but be reminded that everyone at the Hall is here to support you: you should always raise any concerns you have regarding your studies or wellbeing with us.

please also refer to our detailed welfare and confidentiality policy at the hall

The Blackfriars Welfare Team

The Welfare Lead is the head of our team at the hall, and coordinates with the Welfare Officer, Moderators, Bursar, and Senior Tutor regarding any specific or communal welfare issues. They can almost always be found at Hall welfare events, but most often they take one-to-one or group meetings to hear student concerns. They’re supported by the Welfare Officer. Like the Welfare Lead, the Officer attends welfare events organised at the Hall but they also keep themselves available on site for drop-in meetings. With the Junior Dean for Welfare, they organise and promote practical wellbeing events at the Hall at a regular intervals. The Junior Dean for Welfare is a resident resource in Blackfriars accommodation for student welfare needs. On top of running welfare events for Blackfriars students they can also communicate the wellbeing concerns residents have regarding their accommodation.

Often Blackfriars welfare events are run out of the MCR, but the Hall also boasts a dedicated Welfare Room. The room is set aside for student wellbeing purposes where any concerns can be voiced confidentially over a cup of tea.

Your wellbeing and your Studies

If your mental health or welfare affect your studies, and you need appropriate adjustments, our academic staff are more than happy to talk about how the Hall can support you. The Senior Tutor is best placed to assist graduate students at the Hall whose wellbeing has affected their studies. They are also in charge of Disability Support at Blackfriars, which may be relevant to your welfare needs. If you are a visiting student, alongside the Senior Tutor, you may wish to speak to the Director of Studies for Visiting Students who can support you in your programme here, and liaise with your home institution.

Your wellbeing and studies might also be effected by medical issues while at Oxford. Please refer to our page on Medical Treatment for further information about how Blackfriars can support you in these cases.

Other Staff

The Hall maintains two Harassment Officers, who operate independently from the Welfare Team but liaise with them where needed and in accordance with the Hall’s policies. Matters of harassment are serious and covered by relevant Blackfriars Policies. If you are concerned about issues of safeguarding — the protection of children and vulnerable adults from harm — the Hall Safeguarding Officer is available to respond to your concerns in line with the Hall and Province Safeguarding Policies. The Hall Chaplain is also available to discuss any welfare matters.

The Middle Common Room (MCR) and Beyond

You may prefer to seek out a friend at the MCR to support your wellbeing while at Blackfriars. Often an informal chat with a fellow student can make you feel less alone in your experience at Oxford. Your peers are often going through similar struggles, and by talking with them, you can support each other’s welfare. The MCR stocks tea, coffee, and hot chocolate: consider, perhaps, organising a weekly hot chocolate tasting with a flatmate, fellow Blackfriars student, or someone from your course.

Every year the student body at Blackfriars elects an MCR committee. The committee as a whole, but specifically the Welfare Officer, the Equality and Diversity Officer, and the Visiting Student Representative, are available to support your welfare and needs at Blackfriars. The Hall also supports these MCR officers as advocates for student wellbeing at the Hall, and encourages students to voice concerns to the MCR committee if they feel uncomfortable speaking to staff directly. Every year we conduct feedback sessions with MCR representatives to improve the student experience at Blackfriars.

The MCR committee runs a number events every term. Some of these will be geared specifically towards supporting student welfare: the MCR, in conjunction with the Welfare Officer and Welfare Junior Dean, run a weekly Welfare Tea with snacks and casual chats for you to unwind. Taking time to socialise with your peers at a variety of events can do a great deal to help your wellbeing. Getting outside of Blackfriars and joining a sport, club, or society can also be beneficial. Please refer to our page on MCR events and wider Oxford activities for some further information and suggestions.

Wider Welfare Services at OXford

The University and student bodies at Oxford also offer a number of services to support your wellbeing during your studies.

The University offers:

 

The Student Union:

 

if you feel extremely low, are concerned about your wellbeing, or are worried about the welfare of someone else, please: