Support Worker Agreement Version 2.0
Contents 1. What the Service provides for you... 4 2. What you can expect from the Service... 4 3. What the Service expects of you... 5 3.1 Conditions of using the Service... 5 4. What will happen if you do not adhere to the conditions of using the Service?... 6 4.1 Attending a Service induction session... 6 4.2 Booking your support workers... 6 4.3 Signing your support worker's timesheet when you attend sessions you have booked... 6 4.4 Cancelling bookings at short notice and non-attendance... 6 4.5 Notifying us of timetable changes that may affect your booked support... 7 4.6 Ensuring your DSA funding is in place for the start of each academic year... 7 4.7 Notifying the Service if you will need support workers after the standard end date for your course.... 7 4.8 Agreeing your funding authority can share information about your DSA with staff in the Disabled Student Support team and agree they can pay the Service directly for the support provided for you.... 7 4.9 Consent for Sensitive Personal Data Processing - Student... 7 5. Invoicing and charges... 8 6. Termination of services... 9 6.1 Changing your support worker provider... 9 7. Our provider liability... 9 8. Setting up your support - next steps:... 9 9. Glossary... 11 9.1 Auditor... 11 9.2 Conflict of Interest... 11 9.3 DSA... 11 9.4 Funding Authority... 11 9.5 Non-medical helper (NMH) support... 11 9.6 The Service... 11 9.7 Support Workers... 11 9.8 Support Worker Service... 12 APPENDIX 1 - How to cancel bookings... 13 2
APPENDIX 2 - Contact details... 15 Sources of information about making a complaint... 16 3
You may use the Sheffield Hallam University Support Worker Service so long as you have been recommended a support worker in a Study Needs Assessment or guidance appointment; remain a student at the University and formally accept the Support Worker Agreement. If you do not agree with the Support Worker Agreeement you will need to make arrangements to use a different provider. In agreeing the Support Worker Agreeement you must understand the expectations and requirements the Service has of you and be willing to adhere to them. 1. What the Service provides for you The Service employs support workers on your behalf to save you the time and effort of employing them yourself. We match you with the type of support workers you have been recommended so you can book sessions with them. Once you have booked and attended sessions with your support worker, the Service claims back the cost from your Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA). The Service is only available to students who are studying courses at Sheffield Hallam University and is normally only provided at the either the City or Collegiate campus during campus opening hours. 2. What you can expect from the Service We are committed to: providing you with a convenient service which is professional, reliable and friendly acting with integrity in all our contacts and transactions providing support workers who have suitable experience and training explaining to you how to use the service and supporting you if you have difficulties using the service for disability-related reasons allocating your support workers promptly and ensuring there is no conflict of interest confirming the bookings you make responding accurately to your enquiries keeping you up-to-date with any relevant changes to procedures and services resolving any complaints you may raise monitoring our performance by encouraging your feedback and considering suggestions for development. We are registered as a provider of Non-Medical Helper services by the Disabled Students Allowances Quality Assurance Group (DSA-QAG). This means the quality of our service is accountable and are audited each year to check we meet a set of required standards. We are members of the Association of Non-Medical Helper Providers and always try to ensure our service operates in line with other universities and NMH Providers. We are also accredited as meeting the matrix quality standard for information advice and support services. 4
Service Policy documentation is available on request and includes policies relating to the following: Access to the Service; Booked Session and Cancellation; Booked Session Reminder; Missed Session and Late Cancellation; Attendance Monitoring and Pay and Invoicing. 3. What the Service expects of you As well as providing you with a convenient service, we must also work to the regulations and guidelines set out by funding authorities to claim back the costs of employing support workers from your DSA. The Service has to provide evidence to your funding authority that you have booked and attended, or appropriately cancelled your support. Without this evidence your funding authority will not pay for your support. For this reason, you must understand there are conditions of using the Service and agree to them contractually. 3.1 Conditions of using the Service In accepting to adhere to the Support Worker Agreement, you will be agreeing to abide by the conditions listed below. 3.1.1. Attend a Support Worker Service Induction session 3.1.2. Book your support workers in the way we ask 3.1.3. Sign your support worker's timesheet when you attend sessions you have booked 3.1.4. Cancel any bookings you cannot attend with plenty of notice (please refer to the Cancellation Policy in Appendix 1) 3.1.5. Contact the Service as soon as possible if you need to give late notice of a cancellation 3.1.6. Respond to the Service when we ask you to indicate a reason for any late notice cancellation or non-attendance and agree the Service may share these emails with your funding authority 3.1.7. Notify us as soon as possible of any timetable changes that may affect your booked support 3.1.8. Ensure your DSA funding is in place for the start of each academic year. If you are a parttime student; a postgraduate student; an NHS student; or a student who has changed course since the previous year, you will provide us with a letter from your funding authority which confirms your funding for support will be continuing each new academic year 5
3.1.9. Agree your funding authority can share information about your DSA with staff in the Disabled Student Support team and agree they can pay the Service directly for the support provided for you 3.1.10 Allow the transfer/sharing of information or documentation relating to my NMH support, to the Disabled Students Allowance Quality Assurance Group ( the auditor ) refer to 4.9 below 4. What will happen if you do not adhere to the conditions of using the Service? 4.1 Attending a Service induction session It is important for all students using the service to understand how to make bookings,cancel them and understand the essential information contained in the Support Worker Agreement. As such, you must attend an induction session before you are able to access your support. 4.2 Booking your support workers If you have difficulties making your bookings we will always try and help you. However, if you choose not to make your bookings in the way we ask, we may need to suspend your support. 4.3 Signing your support worker's timesheet when you attend sessions you have booked If you do not provide your signature, we will not be able to claim funding for your support and will need to suspend your support. 4.4 Cancelling bookings at short notice and non-attendance If you need to cancel a booking at short notice or fail to attend a booked session we expect you to contact the Service as soon as possible and respond to an email we will send you asking you to indicate a reason. If you do not respond to us we may need to suspend your support. If you do not agree with us sharing your reason with your funding authority we will need to suspend your support. If you have more than two late cancellations or missed sessions for a reason we cannot claim the funding for, your support may be suspended for the duration of that term. You will have the opportunity to opt back in if you wish your support to continue. We will then confirm to your funding authority that you understand the Support Worker Agreement and will adhere to it in future. If you continue to cancel late, or miss further sessions for reasons unrelated to your disability, we may need to suspend your support again. You are able to discuss this further with a Disabiity Adviser if you wish. 6
4.5 Notifying us of timetable changes that may affect your booked support Neither your faculty nor module leaders will inform the Service if your timetable changes. If you do not inform the Service yourself, your support workers will not be aware of the changes and this is likely to result in you not receiving your support. 4.6 Ensuring your DSA funding is in place for the start of each academic year The Service cannot provide support workers at the start of each new academic year until your funding authority has agreed that your DSA funding has been refreshed. 4.7 Notifying the Service if you will need support workers after the standard end date for your course. If you will need support workers after the standard end date for your course you must let your funding authority and the Service know as soon as possible. Your support workers will be aware of your standard course end date and cannot continue to support you once your period of support has ended, unless an extension has been arranged. 4.8 Agreeing your funding authority can share information about your DSA with staff in the Disabled Student Support team and agree they can pay the Service directly for the support provided for you. If you have not given your funding authority consent to share information with us or agreed it can pay the Service directly, we will not be able to claim back the funding for your support. In this circumstance we will not be able to provide support workers for you. 4.9 Consent for Sensitive Personal Data Processing - Student In addition to the normal data processing carried out by Sheffield Hallam University (the University) the transfer/sharing of information or documentation relating to your NMH support, to the Disabled Students Allowance Quality Assurance Group (the auditor) may be required so that the auditor can audit the University's internal processes for dealing with the delivery of NMH support services. These audits play an important part of ensuring that the University is complying with all relevant legislation, internal and external guidance. Such compliance is vital to the University so it can properly provide NMH support services as recommended in your needs assessment report. 7
The information that the University is proposing to share with the auditor is a copy of documentation such as your support worker timesheets and invoices to your funding authority relating to the delivery of your NMH support. As you will be aware, this includes the following information about you: identity; type of NMH support; higher education institution and course information. This information includes personal data and sensitive personal data as defined under the Data Protection Act 1998. As the proposed sharing/transfer includes sensitive personal data (in this instance, disability related information about you), we require your consent before we are legally permitted to provide the auditor with your information, if selected as a student sample. The personal data provided to the auditor would only be processed for the specific purpose of carrying out the audit of the University. The data or NMH support information would not be retained by the auditor once the audit of the University had been completed and accredited by DSA-QAG. This consent will be held by the University for the duration of the audit process, alongside any other forms of consent you have provided to the University in relation to other current data processing activities carried out by the University in relation to your personal and sensitive personal data. 5. Invoicing and charges If you are entitled to DSA, the Support Worker Service invoices your funding authority for the support you have booked, using an hourly rate. The rates we charge your funding authority cover the cost of employing your support workers and the cost of maintaining the Service. The rates vary from year to year and the Service explains any increases to your funding authority on your behalf. If you do not attend a session you have booked or fail to cancel a session without giving sufficient notice, these sessions will be paid for using your remaining DSA funding entitlement for the year. This is the case, even when your absence is due to an illness or directly related to your disability. If you miss more than two sessions each term the University may not be able to invoice your funding authority and may need to bear the cost. 8
6. Termination of services Our contract with you will normally end once you have completed your current course, or temporarily or permanently withdrawn from the University. The contract will automatically be extended if you progress to another course within the University without a break in study, so long as you have DSA funding in place. The Service reserves the right to terminate the contract if you do not adhere to the Support Worker Agreement. You are at liberty to terminate the contract at any time, if you no longer wish to use the Service. 6.1 Changing your support worker provider If you wish to find an alternative support worker provider you should email disability-support@shu.ac.uk for advice. 7. Our provider liability All of our support workers are employed or contracted by the University. As such they are insured to work with you at either City or Collegiate campus during standard campus opening times. They are not insured to work off campus. 8. Setting up your support - next steps: The Support Worker Service will set up your support once you have completed steps 1-3 outlined below. Step 1 - Read your DSA entitlement letter (DSA2) You will receive a letter from your funding authority 4 to 6 weeks after your Study Needs Assessment report has been sent to your funding authority. It will confirm the type of support worker, the supplier, the number of hours and the amount of DSA funding which have been agreed for you each year. It's known as your confirmation of entitlement letter. 9
Step 2 - Attend an induction session After you have been recommended a support worker, you will be asked to attend an induction session. The session will explain in detail how to book and cancel your support workers and use the service correctly. Step 3 - Accept the conditions of using the Service. Instructions for how to Accept the Support Worker Agreement Log in to My Student Record (from Shuspace the link for this is at the top right of your screen) Click on 'My Applicant Record' You will see the Support Worker Agreement. Click on the link to 'View/Sign' There is a link to view the entire document Read through the Support Worker Agreement documents so you understand how we expect you to use the Service Tick the box to agree with the declaration Click Submit You can view the entire Support Worker Agreement at any time by returning to My Student Record and clicking on the Disability Support link. If you have any questions about the Support Worker Agreement please contact Disabled Student Support, tel. 0114 225 3964 or email: disability-support@shu.ac.uk If you do not wish to sign the contract you should contact Disabled Student Support to arrange a Guidance appointment for advice about finding an alternative support worker supplier. Step 4 - Wait for the Support Worker Service to contact you Once the above steps are completed you will be contacted via SHU email within 10 working days. If you do not receive an email within this time, please contact the Support Worker Service. 10
9. Glossary 9.1 Auditor As a provider of Non-Medical Helper Services, we are audited periodically by the Disabled Student Allowances Quality Assurance Group. 9.2 Conflict of Interest A conflict of interest is any situation where the personal interests of a support worker, or interest they owe to another role or organisation, and those of the Support Worker Team and Sheffield Hallam University arise simultaneously or appear to clash. This includes situations where there may be a perceived conflict of interest. Conflicts of interest may arise in a number of different forms, for example: a familial or other relationship (personal or professional) with a student the support worker is supporting or is being asked to support a recommendation for additional mentor support hours made by an assessor who is also supporting the student as a mentor. 9.3 DSA Disabled Students' Allowances this includes NMH - Non Medical Helper Allowance which pays for support workers for UK students. See https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas 9.4 Funding Authority Your funding authority provides your Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA). It may also be referred to as your funding body on other documents. 9.5 Non-medical helper (NMH) support This is the name by which support workers are described by DSA funding authorities. 9.6 The Service This refers to the Support Worker Service (see below). 9.7 Support Workers People who work in specific support roles, e.g. note takers, mentors, providing support to disabled students 11
9.8 Support Worker Service This refers to both the support workers and the the team of people who recruit, train and assign support workers to students. 12
APPENDIX 1 - How to cancel bookings (Cancellation Policy) It is very important to make sure you cancel your booking with enough notice so the Service can cancel your support worker. You must try to give at least one working day s notice. Please note, the Service is not open at weekends, Bank Holidays or University Holidays. This should be taken into account when you are calculating one working day s notice. Cancellations for Mondays, or the first day the University is open after a Holiday need to be received before 09:00 on the Friday preceding the weekend or the last normal working day preceding the start of the Holiday period. If you cannot give one working day's notice please follow the steps below: Step 1 Send a text to the team: 07507 319723 Make sure you include: your student number your full name title of the session the date and time of the session length of the session the support type why you are not attending Step 2 Send an email to the team. This must be from your SHU email address and sent to supportworkerservice@shu.ac.uk Make sure you include: your student number your full name title of the session the date and time of the session length of the session the support type why you are not attending 13
Your email may be shared with your funding authority. If you do not use your SHU email address you will be asked to resend the email from this account. Remember... You should let us know if: any booking is cancelled (even if it is just for one session). you are not going to attend a session. there is a time or room change. 14
APPENDIX 2 - Contact details Support Worker Service contact details: Student Services Centre Level 5, Owen Building City Campus Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield S1 1WB Email supportworkerservice@shu.ac.uk Phone 0114 225 4198 15
APPENDIX 3 - Complaints Procedure Sources of information about making a complaint Early Resolution Stage: If you are not happy with the service provided you must attempt to try and resolve this with the service in the first instance, as part of the early resolution stage. To do this you should email your concerns to supportworkerservice@shu.ac.uk. If your complaint cannot be resolved by the service, the Head of Disabled Student Support will write to you to explain why. If you then want to take your complaint further you will need to take it up with your faculty. Faculty Resolution Stage 1 Complaint Complaints are dealt with at faculty resolution stage in accordance with the Sheffield Hallam University Student Complaints Procedure, which is available under Appeals and Complaints on the Academic regulations and student policies page on shuspace. University Resolution Stage 2 Complaint If a you feel the outcome of the Stage 1 complaint you raised to the Faculty is not reasonable or fair you can refer your complaint to the University resolution stage. This stage is managed by the Regulations and Policy team in conjunction with the faculty pro-vice chancellors in accordance with the Student Complaints Procedure. If you have any questions about the Student Complaints Procedure or need advice and guidance when dealing with a complaint, please contact the Regulations and Policy team or refer to the Guidance for Staff for more information. Independent Advice If you would like some impartial advice about your complaint with an independent adviser you may contact the Hallam Student Union Advice Centre, Location: HUBS (City) Email advicecentre@shu.ac.uk Phone 0114 225 4148 Freephone 0800 0732 002 Online http://hallamunion.org/advice/ 16