Emergency and Trusted Contacts Guidance

When you first enrol at USW, and at the start of each academic year thereafter, you will be asked to provide emergency and trusted contact details.

In most cases, your emergency contact will be a parent, guardian, partner, spouse or other close family member (e.g, next of kin).

However, we recognise there may be circumstances where your emergency contact is not best placed to offer support. You therefore have the option to identify another responsible adult as a trusted contact. It is important that you carefully consider who you wish to nominate as your trusted contact. Your trusted contact should be:

someone that you trust with sensitive information about your health and wellbeing who will respect your privacy and understand how to handle the responsibility of this role.
someone with an awareness of your medical, social history and lived experience.
someone who can be available and would be capable of providing support if called upon.

Choosing your emergency and trusted contacts

By providing your emergency and trusted contact details, you are consenting to the University contacting the named individuals if there are serious concerns about your health or wellbeing. This information will be stored securely in line with the University’s Data Protection Policy.

You should let your nominated contacts know you have chosen them to act in this important role and agree for their contact details to be shared with the University.

You may wish to change your emergency or trusted contacts during your studies as relationships and circumstances change. You can update your details throughout the year via Advice Zone Online.

When the University may contact your emergency and trusted contacts

The University may contact your emergency or trusted contacts if there are serious concerns about your health or wellbeing. This might include but is not limited to instances where the University is required to take reasonable action to prevent an unlawful act and/ or where we become aware that:

you have been (or will be) hospitalised due to an emergency.
you have suffered a serious injury (this could include self-harm; or use of drugs and/or alcohol in high-risk amounts or combinations).
there is evidence of a significant deterioration in your physical or mental health.
you have care and support needs which extend outside of the University's remit as an education provider.
you are at risk of and/or are experiencing harm, abuse or neglect and we have reason to believe that you are unable to protect yourself.
you have stopped engaging with your studies and/or professional support and/or are not responding to reasonable attempts to contact you.
there is a risk to you or to someone else because of your actions.

Each circumstance is considered on a case-by-case basis. A decision to contact an emergency and/or trusted contact will be made in response to information available to us regarding your current circumstances and presenting risk. The decision will normally be made by an appropriately senior and/or qualified member of staff in the University:

We will discuss our intention to contact your emergency or trusted contact with you and gain your consent unless it is not possible to do so, would cause critical delay, or where your capacity to consent has been significantly reduced or removed.
Where you provide consent to make contact, we will agree with you what information can be shared. Contact for one issue will not be taken as consent to contact on future concerns.
In exceptional circumstances, the University may contact your emergency or trusted contact without consent if we consider it in your vital interests to do so, including where there may be a risk to life or serious harm.
The University may share trusted contact information with statutory and emergency services if requested to do so without your express consent if circumstances warrant this. This may include where we believe it is in your vital or best interests, where it is requested as part of a police investigation, or for the purpose of admission to hospital.