Job Description

Job id: 075330. Salary: \xc2\xa351,174 - \xc2\xa360,221 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 22 September 2023. Closing date: 15 October 2023.

Business unit: Students & Education. Department: Student Conduct & Appeals.

Contact details: Frances Kirby (Associate Director Student Conduct & Appeals). Frances.kirby@kcl.ac.uk

Location: Strand Campus. Category: Professional & Support Services.



About Us

The King\'s community is dedicated to the service of society. King\'s Strategic Vision 2029 sets out our vision for the future, shaped around five priority areas: educate to inspire and improve; research to inform and innovate; serve to shape and transform; a civic university at the heart of London; and an international community that services the world. Our ambitious Education Strategy sets out the actions that we must take to transform how we teach, how and where our students learn and how we support them during their time with us.

Student Conduct & Appeals handles a large number of student-related academic appeals, misconduct cases, support for study, fitness to practise referrals and complaints per year, and is also responsible for responding to complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (\'OIA\'), as well as managing student-related litigation. We sit within the Student Services division which includes Counselling & Mental Health, Disability Support & Inclusion and Advice Welfare and Wellbeing.

We are part of the wider Students & Education Directorate, a collection of wide-ranging professional services in place to support King\'s students and their education. As a directorate we manage the student lifecycle from application to graduation and beyond, to ensure a coherent and seamless student experience and effective administrative processes, working closely with King\'s faculties to do so.

About the Role

The new role of Head of Support for Study will lead on the Support for Study processes for the university. With significant experience and current or previous accreditation working in a clinical or community mental health setting or similar background and training, the post-holder will possess a specialist knowledge of issues related to student mental health, including the assessment and management of risk. They will also be responsible for the management of the Support or Study team, including casework supervision, and providing expert knowledge and support to colleagues across the university in relation to the university\'s Support for Study processes and how they can support students through their studies.

This is an exciting opportunity for candidates looking to expand their management experience and examples of roles that this may suit are mental health social worker, mental health nurse, approved mental health practitioner, occupational therapist, nurse consultant or clinical psychologist and who wish to utilise their skills and expertise in advising around university processes.

We encourage applications from candidates who have experience from both within and outside of the Higher Education sector where they can demonstrate the skills needed to succeed in this role.

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract. This is a full-time post, but we welcome applications from candidates seeking a flexible work pattern within our necessary service operating hours.

Key Responsibilities

• Management of the Support for Study team including overseeing the casework of the team to ensure effective service delivery of the team\'s objectives
• Support the Associate Director of Student Conduct & Appeals in developing key performance indicators, responding to developments in sector best practice guidelines, and university strategic plans to support students.
• Act as lead chair (as part of a group of chairs comprised of the other Heads of Students Services) for Support for Study Stage 3 meetings to discuss current complex cases.
• Attend case conferences (involving relevant colleagues from different university teams, as appropriate) and, where requested, Support for Study Stage 2 meetings on behalf of Student Services, in order to coordinate the university\'s response to the most serious or complex cases
• Ensure they maintain an excellent knowledge of current mental health practice within the NHS and voluntary sectors, with particular reference to effective provision and best practice in Higher Education.
• Engage with regular clinical supervision, which will be provided/funded by the university in accordance with our current policy on clinical supervision, and maintain own professional development through participation in personal and career development.
• Work effectively with relevant NHS services and voluntary sector organisations in London and beyond - to make external referrals and liaise effectively on individual cases.
• Collecting and analysing data, outcomes measures and feedback to improve the process.
• Responsible for review of the Support for Study processes and casework management, working together with colleagues to embed a lessons learned approach in the development of policies and procedures
• Ability to engage in collaborative working across King\'s professional services, other Faculties, academic and student communities, with a meaningful and visible commitment to Diversity & Inclusion policies and practices
• Ability to engage in collaborative working across King\'s professional services, other Faculties, academic and student communities and external stakeholders in matters relating to Student Services and safeguarding issues.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria * Relevant work experience and/or education. We think a wide range of different work experiences could support you in this role. Relevant work experience could be working with or managing student conduct and appeals. Relevant educational experience might include higher education in law or a related discipline.

• Expert knowledge of how to assess and manage risk (including risk to self and to others) in a clinical or community mental health setting, including undertaking risk assessments using a recognised assessment framework (such as CORE or PHQ9 etc.)
• Expert knowledge of the mental health issues and support needs of students and/or young people (16-25 years old)
• Experience of effectively managing performance across a team to deliver team objectives; developed team management and team leadership skills; Proven track record of successfully managing and developing small teams in a line management role.
• Experience of managing and processing a large and complex caseload across a team as a clinical service lead or equivalent to achieve service targets and quality standards
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills and ability to convey clear and accurate advice on relevant legislation and complex procedures. .
• Confident, resourceful and incisive approach, able to make difficult decisions effectively under pressure.
• Ability to manage relationships sensitively with distressed clients and tolerate and manage high levels of risk
• Knowledge of legislation relating to mental health and of a regulatory environment in higher education or equivalent in a similar field
• Experience of referring cases into statutory services, voluntary sector bodies, and working closely with such services on complex and crisis cases and of identifying and escalating safeguarding concerns
• Experience of balancing the need to share information appropriately to ensure the effective management of risk with the need for confidentiality and data protection legislation compliance
• Strong advocate of diversity and of promoting access for people with mental health issues

Further Information

Your application should clearly set out how you meet the essential criteria as this is how we shortlist applications. Learn more about how we recruit, including tips on writing your application and supporting statement on our website:

Interviews will be held using Microsoft Teams and will consist of competency-based questions linked closely to the essential and desirable criteria mentioned here.

Although we have made improvements over the last number of years, our team is still under-represented in terms of staff from global majority ethnicities, LGBTQ+ identities, and from people with disabilities. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities.

Further details of the team and the work we do can be found here:

King\'s College London