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Blackfriars Hall > Welfare Policy and Confidentiality Guidelines

Welfare Policy and Confidentiality Guidelines

Introduction

The welfare and flourishing of all students and staff of Blackfriars Hall is a key principle of the Hall, and stems from our foundation within the community life of the Blackfriars Priory which serves the Hall and the guiding principles and strong tradition of pastoral care of its parent charity, the English Province of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). As a small and friendly academic community students, welfare matters can be dealt with promptly and compassionately, with initial response normally within one day.

Staff

Welfare Lead

The Welfare Lead assumes strategic oversight of welfare policy and provision with the rest of the Welfare Team and the Moderators, including record-keeping. They liaises especially with the Senior Tutor and Hall Bursar with regard to any individual or communal welfare matters arising from academic or accommodation issues respectively, as well as with the Hall’s Harassment Officers and individual students’ tutors where needed and in accordance with the University’s and Hall’s Confidentiality policy and principles. They attends University Welfare Forum meetings, ensuring that Blackfriars welfare Policy and provision are up to date, sharing good practice, and liaises with the Oxford University Students Union. They are also available for one-to-one or group meetings with students and the organization of meetings and welfare seminars (e.g. LGBTQ+). They deals with and coordinates response to Level 2 and 3 concerns, and logs all welfare concerns that They deals with.

Welfare Officer

In addition to availability for one-to-one or group meetings with students, the Welfare Officer maintains a regular “drop-in” presence and liaises with the Junior Welfare Dean to organise practical well-being events, notably the drop-in Welfare Teas which are weekly in term-time. They deals with Level 2 and 3 concerns in collaboration with the Welfare Lead, and logs all welfare concerns that They deals with.

Junior Dean – Welfare

A postgraduate student who enables welfare provision for students individually and communally, available for individual contact with students. They is first responder to welfare incidents. They regularly consults the MCR community about welfare needs, concerns and positive provision for well-being (e.g. social and information events), and liaises with the rest of the Welfare Team regarding these matters. They logs welfare concerns and passes up Level 2 and 3 concerns to the Welfare Officer and Welfare Lead as appropriate.

Other Staff

The Hall has two Harassment Officers, who operate independently from the Welfare Team but liaise with the Welfare Team where needed and in accordance with the Hall’s Confidentiality and Safeguarding Policies.

Facilities

In addition to the MCR, there is a dedicated Welfare Room for one-to-one or group meetings. The Welfare Room is set aside for this purpose so that it can be used immediately for welfare emergencies.

The Hall provides information on welfare in its Student Handbook, notably:

  • Expectation that students will register with a doctor and be responsible for their own health.
  • Welfare and mental health provision from the University
  • Details of the Oxford University Student Counselling Service, Oxford Nightline and Student Advice service, and welfare resources provided by the Oxford University Students’ Union

 

CONFIDENTIALITY PRINCIPLES

Blackfriars Hall respects the right to privacy of its staff and students and adheres to the statutory principles of privacy and respect for confidentiality, most recently defined in the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Data Protection Act 2018. Accordingly, information given in confidence by a student to an adviser will not generally be disclosed to others. The term adviser is used here to denote anyone whom a student consults for welfare advice in an official capacity, including the Harassment Officers, student College Adviser, the Regent and Moderators, the Senior Tutor, Tutor for Graduates, the Academic Registrar, the Senior Dean, the MCR Chaplain, tutors, and other Hall and Studium officers. Medical practitioners, clergy and counsellors (including those at the Oxford University Counselling Service) also have their own professional guidelines.

The Hall’s duty of care for the welfare of all its members may make it necessary in certain circumstances for confidential information to be disclosed, but only to officers who need to know such information in order to exercise that care. Advisers will use their professional discretion to assess what information needs to be shared, and with whom.

At the outset of any consultation by a student, an adviser will normally explain these principles and, if relevant, attempt to establish the extent of the confidentiality necessary in the particular case. Whenever possible, consent to disclose any necessary information to other officers will be sought from a student. Such third parties will also be bound by the same principles. If consent is not given, the adviser will explain that, in certain circumstances, some disclosure and consequent action may be necessary because of the duty to protect the student or others from harm. Examples include circumstances where a student carries a serious infectious medical condition, is thought to be at risk of self-harm, has a tendency to violence, or may have committed a sexual assault.

In matters relating to the misuse of drugs and other banned substances, the MCR Chaplain, Welfare Lead and Welfare Officer are happy to talk in confidence to any member of the Hall. Disclosure will be made only in accordance with the principles outlined above. Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed if information concerning the misuse of drugs is disclosed to any other person.

 

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI)

Blackfriars Hall is committed to encouraging and sustaining an inclusive culture that fosters equality, esteems diversity, and supports a learning, working, and social context in which the dignity and rights of all its staff, fellows, and students are fully respected. The University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy relates to all participants in the University community, and all students (including visiting students from 2026) are obliged to undertake EDI training with regular updates.

 

Training

All relevant staff are provided with specific training on health and wellbeing crisis management to help them respond to incidents if they arise, drawing on the university’s resources and also, in the case of the resident Dominican community, on the regular permanent formation (in-service training) of the English Province of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) and safeguarding training through the Religious Life Safeguarding Service and the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

 

Disability support

The most important point of contact for students in the University is the professional Disability Advisory Service (DAS), which helps to assess support needs and adjustment requirements. Each college has a link advisor at DAS: the contact for Blackfriars Hall is Dr Clare Broome Saunders senior.tutor@bfriars.ox.ac.uk

The Hall can assist students with a disability with making arrangements for reasonable adjustments to study. The types of support that may be put into place will depend on the student’s individual circumstances, but may include arrangements such as: teaching adjustments; adjustments to the built environment (where possible), e.g. ergonomic furniture or specialist lighting; IT equipment or other study technology; alternative arrangements for examinations; or additional library support.

 

Harassment

The designated Harassment Officers of Blackfriars Hall are Dr Maria Power and Dr Nicholas Waghorn, to whom concerns regarding bullying or harassment may be referred. Please see the Hall’s Harassment Policy.

The Hall, in common with colleges and departments, is also subject to the University’s Harassment Policy. All students may contact the Harassment Line for confidential advice and support (Tel. 01865 270760 or email harassment.line@admin.ox.ac.uk).

All Oxford students are encouraged by the University to complete the online Consent training, which is considered relevant to everyone, including those supporting friends and peers. It is regarded as an essential foundation for a respectful community of learning. However, it is understood that there are a number of reasons why someone may not wish to engage with this topic, and we do not as a Hall make this training a mandatory requirement.

Safeguarding

The Hall’s Safeguarding Policy is available online, here. The Dean, Master, and Senior Tutor are the Safeguarding Officers and any concerns relating to safeguarding (including current students, prospective students or visitors under the age of 18, as well as vulnerable adults) should be reported, in the first instance, to one of these.

Please note that all under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times while in the Hall. Please inform in advance the Regent, Senior Tutor or Welfare Lead if you have invited a group involving children to the Hall.

 

Hall complaints procedure

Any student who wishes to complain about any aspect of Hall life should usually, in the first instance, discuss the matter informally with the relevant member of the Hall. A student with a complaint is always able to discuss it with a college advisor, Senior Tutor, or Middle Common Room President. Other sources of advice include the Welfare Team.

Complaints concerning the Regent or other Hall Officers should be addressed in the first place to the Senior Dean. A student who is dissatisfied with the way in which a complaint is addressed may always appeal to the Regent for a review and final decision. For cases in which the complaint concerns the Regent, an appeal may be made to the Provincial of the English Province of the Order of Preachers, who is the Chair of the Board of Governance  with oversight of Blackfriars Hall.

The full Student Complaints Procedure for Blackfriars Hall sets out the steps which are to be taken in the event of the need to raise a complaint or concern.

Depending on the nature of a complaint, students may also ask to have it investigated by the  Senior Tutor, the Proctors Office, or by Thames Valley Police. Please note that the Proctors have no jurisdiction over matters exclusively related to Hall staff, provision, or services. Advice may also be available from the Oxford Student Union.