General
Pastoral Care
Every student has a life outside the institute and sometimes the ups and downs of this life affects their study. TPP has people and strategies on hand to deal with these outside issues and ensure students feel supported.
When to Intervene
It is often hard to judge, especially when you are new to teaching, when to step in and talk to a student about outside issues which may be affecting their study.
Some students are very private, others love to share - and there is a danger in that too!
Keep any discussion strictly to the impact the student’s personal issues may be having on their study. Do not become their unofficial counselor - two reasons, one you are not qualified and that student may become dependent on you then it is very hard to extract yourself and become a tutor, not a confidant.
Who To Ask For Help
TPP has a number of people you can refer a troubled student on to:
The Student Support Team Leader based in Greymouth is a good place to start.
There is an 0800 number - 0800 xxxxxxx for either you or the student to call to ask for help or advice. Other phone numbers and contacts are in the Student Information Handbook.
You or the student can also talk to the Learning and Disability coordinator, the Maori support service co-coordinator, or the student can be referred to outside agencies or a counselor. TPP has counseling services on hand in Greymouth, Christchurch and Auckland.
The Don't DO's
Do not give students your personal cell-phone or home phone number, and DO NOT lend students money.
Disability and Harassment:
Students are asked to advise TPP of any disabilities they may have on their enrolment form. This area is covered again when they fill in the "first impressions" part of the student satisfaction survey.
The disability coordinator will then contact them and provide whatever assistance is required, be it a reader-writer; or special text books, extra one-on-one help etc.
TPP has a very specific harassment policy and harassment will not be tolerated. If you have an issue with harassment of a student or a tutor, contact the Student Support Services Team leader.
Complaints/Misconduct:
The complaints and misconduct policies and processes at any tertiary institution is a very important.
At TPP both are contained within several sections within the QMS and the Academic Statute. You should became familiar with these early on.
Students can make complaints against tutors, other students or the institute.
Misconduct can occur around cheating, plagiarism, bullying, aggression, misuse of computers to access inappropriate sites for example.
Do not attempt to handle complaints or misconduct issues on your own – talk to your line manager and if you are directly involved make notes of actions and conversations.