Sheffield Hallam At Risk Pathway (SHARP)

As part of Hallam’s support services, we have a Sheffield Hallam At Risk Pathway which aims to provide support to exceptional student circumstances that are beyond the standard student support model. The Pathway, known as SHARP is a forum involving key support services which oversees individual student circumstances (cases) when it is considered that a student may be at risk to themselves or others or may have complex support needs.

Every attempt will be made to inform students that their circumstances are to be discussed at the SHARP forum, however this may not always be possible or may not always be appropriate. For instance, it may not be possible or appropriate to contact a student who is in hospital.

The aim of the pathway is to put in place a series of actions to support students. It is not intended to increase or encourage students to withdraw from their course because of their circumstances. This is very much seen as a last resort. 

There are 3 escalation stages to our Sheffield Hallam At Risk Pathway.

1. Sheffield Hallam At Risk Pathway (SHARP forum)
2. Cause for Concern
3. Case Management

SHARP forum: 

Staff present at the SHARP forum will include members from the following support services:

• Student Transition and Welfare (normally your Student Support Adviser)
• Student Wellbeing
• Disabled Student Support
• Student Funding Team
• Student Policy & Compliance
• Accommodation Support

The SHARP forum is chaired by a Senior member of the Student Transition and Welfare team. Staff at Hallam may refer your case to this forum if they become aware that you are at risk, either to yourself, from others or towards others, or you have complex needs which need attention from specialist services. Members of the SHARP forum will discuss each case and agree actions which will be managed by a suitable member of staff. Actions may include referrals to the most appropriate university process including; Fitness to Practice, Supporting your Capacity to Study, Student Disciplinary and Safeguarding. Your Student Support Adviser (SSA) may also be assigned further actions to support your needs and they will contact you once your case has been presented to the SHARP forum.

It may be necessary to escalate cases which need immediate attention or are of a more serious nature, to our Cause for Concern forum.

Cause for Concern:

The Cause for Concern forum is chaired by the Head of Student Help & Advice. Members of this forum include the Service Leads for all the above listed support services that attend SHARP and in addition, the Chaplaincy and accommodation leads. Necessary actions will be agreed and it may be helpful to assign a Case Manager to oversee your case and co-ordinate regular updates. Once again your Student Support Adviser will contact you when your case has been presented to the Cause for Concern forum.

Case Management:

Sometimes the circumstances that a student is experiencing are ongoing and/or involve a range of complexities which require regular interactions with numerous support services. In these circumstances you may be assigned a Case Manager. Case Managers are senior members from our support services: Student Transition & Welfare, Disabled Student Support, Student Wellbeing and Policy and Compliance. Depending on the nature of the support required the most suitable member of staff will be assigned to support your case.

The Case Manager will co-ordinate an action plan most suited to your needs and regularly engage with named contacts from the services involved to support you. It may be necessary for you to meet with your Case Manager one to one to ensure that you are receiving the correct level of support, that you are engaging with any actions agreed and so that you have one named contact to liaise with about your circumstances. Case Management can be ongoing throughout your journey at Sheffield Hallam. Your Case Manager will monitor your case and only close your case if your circumstances mean that you either, no longer require the support, all actions have been completed, you have completed your studies or ended your contract with Sheffield Hallam University.

Confidentiality and Data Sharing:

Sheffield Hallam University has a confidentiality policy which applies to all services for students. At Hallam we are committed to supporting students towards a successful completion of their agreed programme of study. In order to provide you with the most successful and comprehensive support it is often useful for us liaise with other Hallam services. The principle we use for sharing any information is strictly on a “need to know” basis.

There can be certain very rare circumstances where we may need to share information about you without your consent. This is primarily where there is concern about serious harm to you or to others, or if we are requested to do so for legal or criminal investigations.

At the various stages of the Sheffield Hallam At Risk Pathway, a Student Support Adviser will be in contact with you. Should you have any questions or concerns about the information you share, you can discuss this with us.