Residence Life Welfare Officer

University of Glasgow; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

An established institution is seeking a dedicated Welfare Officer to support students in navigating challenges and accessing vital resources. This role involves proactive outreach, collaboration with various support teams, and ensuring students receive timely assistance. The ideal candidate will possess strong communication and organizational skills, with a background in welfare or student support. Join a dynamic team committed to fostering a supportive environment, where your contributions will make a significant impact on student wellbeing and community engagement.

Benefits

41 days of leave

Flexible working hours

Free 6-month UofG Sport membership

Pension plan

Employee benefits and discounts

Qualifications

• Experience in providing advice and support to students in distress.
• Awareness of safeguarding and mental health issues.

Responsibilities

• Respond to out-of-hours welfare requests and provide necessary support.
• Build partnerships with university services to promote student wellbeing.

Skills

Communication Skills

Organizational Skills

Problem-Solving Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Attention to Detail

Crisis Management

Education

Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4

Higher National Diploma

Job description

Job Purpose

The Welfare Officer will ensure that students in university residences have access to the advice, guidance, and support they need, often liaising with or escalating to specialist services and departments as required. On a day-to-day basis you will meet and be responsible for signposting students and connecting them with wider on-campus support teams, such as Safeguarding, Security, Student Support Officers, Counselling, Disability Services, Financial Aid, and the SRC Advice Centre.

The Welfare Officer will offer proactive outreach as part of a holistic student support system, promoting healthy lifestyles, self-care, and helping students navigate a wide range of challenges and issues.

The Welfare Officer will work on a rotating schedule, including weekday/weekend (expected standard hours 3pm to 11pm). They are also expected to be on-call overnight on average one in every five weeks. Therefore a flexible approach to hours of work to best support management of services out with the normal working pattern. is required.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Respond quickly to out-of-hours welfare requests across all residences, ensuring appropriate support and escalation as needed.

2. Provide welfare guidance and support to colleagues in Warden, Security and Accommodation teams fostering strong collaboration during shifts.

3. Build strong partnerships with university services, SRC, and the wider community to improve connections with office-hour support and promote wellbeing in halls.

4. Collaborate with Safeguarding and Security to assess, respond to, and escalate risk in a timely and appropriate manner.

5. Facilitate conflict resolution and mediation to support students in managing relationships with flatmates and peers.

6. Deliver proactive and educational responses to behavioural challenges, contributing to the ResLife Strategy Programme.

7. Identify student needs through engagement with diverse groups (e.g., LGBTQ, interest groups) and share insights with the wider team to inform responsive actions.

8. Ensure effective communication with the Residence Life team, particularly during your working pattern, for seamless coordination.

9. Coordinate with the Residence Assistant Student team and other Residence Life teams (e.g., Warden, Events, Social Responsibility) to support student welfare initiatives.

10. Foster strong relationships with Accommodation teams both in University-managed and private residences, ensuring collaborative support for students.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Knowledge and Qualifications

Essential:

A1Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary knowledge and skills through personal development and progression in a similar role(s). Or: Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 8 (Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4, Higher National Diploma) or equivalent, and experience of personal development in a similar role.

A2Awareness and relevant knowledge of safeguarding, mental health, sexual violence, harassment, misconduct, and hate crime.

A3Familiarity with Glasgow’s cultural, social, and educational landscape, as well as local emergency support services available to students, or the ability to gain this knowledge rapidly.

A4Basic understanding and awareness of crisis management principles, including risk assessment, intervention strategies, and working with other support services.

Desirable:

B1Understanding of relevant legislation and institutional policies regarding student welfare, safeguarding, and equality, as well as compliance with local and national regulations.

B2Professional membership in relevant discipline e.g. Social Work (Mental health), Mental Health Nursing, Counselling/Psychology/DBT Practitioner.

Skills

Essential:

C1Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive relationships with a diverse range of students, colleagues, and external partners.

C2Well-developed organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently.

C3Proven experience in providing advice, guidance, and support to students or young people in a professional or voluntary setting.

C4Good written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear reports, maintain case notes and ability to deliver training and induction activity.

C5Attention to detail and ability to follow procedures for maintaining records and confidentiality in line with GDPR.

C6Ability to work both independently and as part of a team within a structured environment.

C7Problem-solving skills with the ability to adapt and respond to emerging challenges.

C8Driver's licence or working towards gaining a drivers licence.

Experience

Essential:

E1Experience in responding to welfare or wellbeing-related incidents and supporting individuals in distress.

E2Experience working within a team, including supporting colleagues and contributing to shared objectives.

E3Familiarity with following policies, procedures, and best practices within a welfare or student support setting.

E4Experience handling non-clinical wellbeing or pastoral support cases, particularly with students or young people.

Desirable:

F1Experience working in student accommodation, student services, or a similar support-focused environment.

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 6, £33,482 - £37,174 per annum.

This post is full time and open ended.

Closing Date: 23:45 16th May 2025

The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.

Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.