UCD Student Advisers’ Code of Practice
Student Advisers abide by a Code of Practice in accordance with the following guidelines:
1. Competence
Student Advisers maintain and develop their professional competence. Student Advisers recognise the limits of their training and experience and take care not to exceed them.
2. Conduct
Student Advisers conduct their professional activities in such a way as to ensure that students’ best interests are maintained
Student Advisers are mindful that their relationships with students may involve conflicts of interest. Where this arises they clarify their position to all concerned.
Student Advisers maintain appropriate contact with students ensuring that no exploitation occurs in the Student Adviser/student relationship.Back to Top
3. Confidentiality
Student Advisers take all reasonable steps to ensure that consultation with students takes place in an appropriate environment.
Student Advisers take all reasonable steps to preserve the confidentiality of information about students obtained in the course of their professional work. They reveal such information only with the student’s consent, but with certain exceptions, which may include: where concealment would result in danger to the student or others; when required by law; or for purposes of professional consultation or supervision.
It is the duty of Student Advisers to inform students about the limits of confidentiality.
Student Advisers discuss information about students only for professional purposes and only with those who are clearly entitled to be consulted. Student Advisers may occasionally be contacted by a student’s parent, guardian or family member. In accordance with UCD policy, Student Advisers provide a service for students of the University and information pertaining to them cannot be disclosed to any third party without the specific consent of that student.
Written and oral reports contain only such data as is relevant. Every effort is made to avoid undue invasion of a student’s privacy. Student Advisers circulate written information only to relevant personnel and only with the student’s consent.Back to Top
4. Consent
Student Advisers take all reasonable steps to ensure that students give consent to any interventions involving them.
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5. Record Keeping
Student Advisers keep records for the purposes of ongoing student support, evaluation, planning and teamwork.
- A record is any/all of the following:
- Notes
- Official forms
- Letters
- E-mails
- Any other correspondence
Note: An undocumented conversation is not a record.
- A student should be informed of their recordís existence and its purpose.
- A general query does not need to be recorded. Any important issues should be recorded and documented.
- A typical student record might include:
- Student banner sheet (photograph, name, course)
- Date(s) of appointment(s)
- Brief detail of issue
- Action taken / outcome
- Any correspondence
- Records should be factual, accurate and legible
- No judgement comments should be recorded.
- Records should be kept in a locked and secure location, where access is limited.
- Records should be retained for the duration of the students’ course and for one month after conferral or one month after a student formally withdraws from UCD. Records should only be kept for longer than this under special circumstances where a Student Adviser has specific reasons to believe that they might be needed for reference.
- Only Student Advisers will have access to their own student records. A student will have access to their record on request to the Student Adviser. All others (including any UCD staff) must use the FOI procedure. It is recommended that legal advice be sought from UCD Legal Affairs in the event of a query.
- Student Advisers safeguard storage, retrieval and disposal of student records, both written and electronic in accordance with the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts as they apply to UCD.
