Disability Practitioner

Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 37,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday package

Great pension schemes

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Job summary

Newcastle University is seeking a Disability Practitioner on a fixed-term basis to support disabled students, providing expert guidance to remove barriers and promote inclusion. The role sits within University Health and Wellbeing and offers hybrid working with core hours 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

The successful candidate will manage a varied caseload, advise on accommodations and Disabled Students Allowances, and work to ensure access, progression and retention for students.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of relevant HE legislation and its implications.
• Understanding of mental health issues and disabilities in students.
• Experience or training in cross-cultural mental health support.
• Ability to manage a highly sensitive caseload with teamwork.
• Evidence of inclusivity, diversity and equal opportunities principles.
• Ability to interpret and apply policies and procedures.
• Evidence-based advice and guidance skills.
• Flexible working style and reliability.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to manage time and resources effectively.
• Experience working with groups and facilitating sessions.
• Presentation or training delivery experience.

Responsibilities

• Act as central point of contact for future and current disabled students.
• Provide advice and information on support services within and external to the University.
• Manage a varied, sensitive caseload for disabled students and long-term mental health conditions.
• Identify risk and refer appropriately to internal or external services.
• Offer a blend of in-person and digital meetings to identify support options.
• Provide advice on Disabled Students Allowances.
• Coordinate examinations arrangements with Examinations Office.
• Participate in staff development activities on disability support.
• Maintain timely record keeping in line with policy and data protection.
• Contribute to evaluation of the impact of support provided.
• Liaise with external bodies and internal colleagues to ensure adequate support.
• Promote Student Health and Wellbeing activities and outreach.

Skills

Communication skills

Time management

IT skills

Inclusivity knowledge

Disability support knowledge

Education

Relevant degree or equivalent

Professional qualification (Advice & Guidance / MH nurse / social worker / OT / autism)

Tools

Word

Excel

Databases

Job description

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Salary: £36,636 to £38,784 with progression to £46,049 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 25 September 2026

The Role

University Health and Wellbeing is seeking to appoint an exceptional candidate to the post of Disability Practitioner, in a fixed-term post to cover a period of maternity leave.

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic individual to join the Disability team. This role provides specialist professional advice and guidance to students, applicants and colleagues and to work creatively to remove barriers for disabled students, to raise awareness and promote a positive, respectful and inclusive culture to enable access, progress and retention for disabled students.

University Health and Wellbeing provide information, advice and guidance on a wide range of support issues, to enable students to maximise their potential whilst at University. The service is free, confidential and available to all students.

The role is campus-based. There is opportunity for flexible hybrid working dependent on service need. The fixed working hours are Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.

We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. We are a Disability Confident employer which means that we offer an interview to any applicant applying under the scheme that meets the essential criteria for a role.

Interviews to be held in October 2026.

If, having read the job description and person specification, you require information that is not covered, please contact Sandy Alden by email [e-mail]. You can also find further information about the Student Wellbeing Service online.

Successful candidates will require satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). People Services colleagues will support you with this during onboarding.

Key Accountabilities

• To act as a central point of contact for future and current disabled students, including long-term mental health conditions.
• To provide advice and information to students and key stake holders, on the provision of support services and facilities within and external to the University.
• Manage a varied, complex and sensitive caseload of future and current disabled students, including those with long-term mental health conditions, who want to access disability support, often working with them over a long period of time.
• Identify and respond to risk, and to refer appropriately to internal and or external services.
• Apply knowledge and understanding of the additional mental health vulnerabilities of those from minority or marginalised backgrounds and the experience and action needed to support them effectively.
• With equal efficacy offer a blend of individual present-in-person and digital meetings to identify relevant support and adjustments options, facilitate any ensuing communication with academic schools and other key stakeholders to resolve barriers to reasonable adjustment and support needs.
• Provide advice, guidance and information, including advice on Disabled Students Allowances.
• Undertake assessments of student needs and deliver one to one or small group interventions to help students develop effective strategies that support healthy behaviours, and positive engagement with study.
• Proactively liaise with colleagues within the Examinations Office to implement additional examination arrangements for disabled students.
• When directed plan, coordinate and participate in staff development activities.
• To facilitate improvements in provision for disabled students, by holding a knowledge lead responsibility, in a wide range of settings by keeping abreast of issues affecting disabled students and participation within a variety of working groups.
• To complete and maintain record keeping in a timely fashion, adhering to the Service policy and data protection requirements.
• Contribute to the evaluation of the impact of support provided to students.
• As identified by and with support of line manager undertake regular personal training and continuing professional development in order to remain updated with the knowledge of legislation and relevant research in disability related issues.
• To keep abreast of internal and external developments that may impact upon support for disabled students. This includes, but is not exclusive to, government strategy, and sector best practice initiatives.
• Adhere to and comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Laws along with the University's Data Protection Policies.
• To act as a consultant, and at times trainer, to university staff to provide support as they work with disabled students and students with long-term mental health conditions and vulnerabilities.
• To liaise with both external bodies and internal colleagues to assist in providing adequate support for disabled students, including long-term mental health conditions and vulnerabilities. Refer and track referrals to other agencies as appropriate, to ensure students do not "slip through the net".
• To participate in promotion of the Student Health and Wellbeing activity, open days, receptions, Welcome Week which, from time to time, may require working out-of-hours i.e. evenings and weekends (only very occasional).

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Knowledge of and familiarity with the application of relevant legislation and the implications of this in an HE setting.
• Understanding of the effects of a range of mental health difficulties, and disabilities on individuals, family, friends, staff and potential impact on student University experience.
• Experience and/or training in the application of cross-cultural mental health support.
• Capacity to deal with a highly sensitive caseload and work collaboratively with others to create effective performance within a team.
• Be able to evidence knowledge of the principles of inclusivity, diversity and equal opportunities.
• Ability to interpret and apply knowledge of policies and procedures.
• Evidenced based advice and guidance skills.
• A highly flexible working style.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent communications skills.
• Ability to exercise initiative and judgement in the appropriate management of student support and the ability to work independently.
• Highly competent IT skills: Word, Excel, Email, Internet, Databases.
• Ability to manage time and resources effectively by prioritising and organising a high volume, complex and varied workload.
• Management of own caseload.
• Experience of working with groups.
• Presentation and/or training skills and experience, delivering to a diverse audience.

Attributes and Behaviour

• Takes the initiative to ensure future success of the University and area by presenting new ideas and approaches.
• Accepts the reality and requirements of change as part of achieving organisational goals.
• Is supportive of others during change.
• Anticipates change and prepares for it. Accepts change and 'runs' with it.
• Effective at organising and managing complex workload.
• Uses own and others’ time effectively.
• Plans workload and tasks in a systematic way.
• Sets own priorities in conjunction with University, team and area objectives.
• Considers large amounts of complex information quickly and identifies key issues.
• Recognises urgency and takes decisive action when required.
• Confidently deals with a broad range of information.

Qualifications

• A recognised degree or equivalent qualification and/or experience.
• A relevant professional Qualification such as Advice and Guidance, Registered Nurse Mental Health/ Social Worker/ Occupational Therapist, or Autism practice etc.

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a GoldAthena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.