Position Details

Academic Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £34,980 to £44,263 with potential progression once in post to £46,974

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to January 2025

Closing date: 2nd June 2024

This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Role Summary

Disability advisors will work primarily within a disability field based upon their individual qualifications, experience and expertise. They will be expected to work with students with multiple disabilities across the University, including, physical disabilities, sensory impairments, long term health conditions, Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) and have a substantial amount of experience in supporting people with long term mental health conditions / Autism.

Within service level agreements and in line with team and University procedures, they will offer information, advice and guidance to students and prospective students on Disability/SpLD/mental health related topics, including applying for DSAs; access and support arrangements. They will work alongside other members of the Student Disability Service in providing advice, guidance and recommendations on accessing reasonable adjustments based upon the individual impact of a student’s impairment, whilst maintaining a specialism in Mental Health / Autism for those students who require more directed support.

The post holder will also provide expert guidance to academic staff on individual specific support provision, particularly relating to their role with students and the impact Mental Health conditions / Autism can have on a student’s academic performance and participation in higher education. They will use their substantial knowledge and experience to influence the development of resources for both students and staff.

Other responsibilities include working collaboratively to embed non-discriminatory practices across the University and, utilising their substantial knowledge and practical experience of a specific specialism within Mental Health / Autism and contributing to the development of relevant training material. They will understand and anticipate legal requirements and potential risks, working to ensure that the University is compliant with its duties to disabled students under the Equality Act 2010.

This is a role for a disability specialist who can respond proactively to changes in the higher education sector and work independently as required.

The post holder will be required to operate flexibly to meet the demands of the Student Disability Service.

Main Duties

• Be the direct point of contact for students with needs of varying complexity; with a predominant focus on students experiencing long term Mental Health condition / Autism. Anticipating, understanding and conceptualising the requirements of each individual to support students to access appropriate study related disability support and provide the wider university with a summary of reasonable adjustments required by the student based upon their needs. This will involve creating individualised Reasonable Adjustment Plans, monitoring, and reviewing of support arrangements as needed throughout the student life cycle.
• Participate in the development and delivery of the University’s pre-admission process for applicants with disabilities, with a key focus on Mental health / Autism, including arranging pre-admission visits for applicants and parents.
• Support students to source appropriate evidence of their disability.
• Working collaboratively with students and relevant staff and services across the University to agree and support implementation of study related disability support, with regard to “Reasonable Adjustments” and best practice.
• Provide expert advice to staff within the University on the adjustments required to make individual programmes of study accessible to disabled students, including course delivery, assessment, and disability inclusion best practice.
• Offer specialist advice and information to staff around issues that arise in relation to disabled students on a day-to-day basis, encouraging the use of existing resources and services.
• Develop and deliver staff training and development initiatives across the institution e.g. disability and mental health awareness, compliance issues.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with external services and organisations, including statutory services to ensure best support and outcomes for students:
  • Guild of Students; collaborate with Guild staff to embed good practice and represent Student Services at Disability related events and promotional campaigns
  • Funding bodies and DSA assessors; provide information, follow up queries and make recommendations as appropriate to ensure students receive DSA where they are eligible
  • External statutory agencies e.g. Social services, Occupational Therapists, NHS -signposting and advising to services with clear reference to University policies, ensuring compliance with the University’s duty of care
• Develop collaborative working partnerships within Student Wellbeing Services; staff across the University and with external agencies to ensure a high quality experience for students with disabilities including SpLDs and Mental Health disabilities, and embed best practice.
• Promote equality and diversity values including: actively acting as a role model in own behaviour and fostering a non-discriminatory culture; actively applying internal processes in a fair and equal way.
• Communicate effectively with students, University staff, including Academic staff and Wellbeing Advisors in schools and colleges, senior managers in Estates and external agencies as appropriate, providing advice on mitigating issues relating to disabled students across the University. This communication will include verbal and written reports, case conferences and team meetings
• Maintain accurate, contemporaneous, auditable documentation and maintain confidentiality in accordance with local service protocols, the University policy and procedures and General Data Protection Regulations.
• Support risk management using established internal and external procedures and services.
• Support the delivery of wider Student Disability service initiatives by undertaking delegated responsibilities when required.

Continuing Professional Development

• Attend meetings appropriate to the needs of the service and where necessary, cascade relevant information to the rest of the team.
• Participate in Student Services Operational Planning and contribute to the identification and achievement of appropriate Student Disability Service Objectives.
• Keep abreast of updates to related legislation and other external guidance to ensure compliance and facilitate evidence-based practice.
• Work collaboratively with local and national organisations who provide support to disabled students, sharing best practice and, representing the University at a regional and national level.
• Be responsible for own continuing professional development, following individual Personal Development Reviews

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to at least degree level or equivalent experience. A professional qualification in an area relevant to the responsibilities of the post would be an advantage.
• Accreditation (or evidence of willingness to work working towards accreditation) with an appropriate professional body e.g.AMBDA, UMHAN, HCPC, NADP would be an advantage.
• Significant experience in supporting people with long term Mental health conditions and / Autistic people.
• Demonstrable experience of providing support to those with disabilities, with an understanding of the impact of multiple impairments and complex conditions.
• Experience of working to support students within Higher Education would be an advantage.
• Experience of delivering training, particularly in the area of disability awareness would be an advantage.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to maintain boundaries and exercise sensitivity and diplomacy, whilst ensuring compliance with confidentiality policies, professional standards, and Data Protection legislation.
• Effective team-working skills, coupled with an ability to be authoritative in their specialist areas and work independently, having the confidence to make important decisions.
• Ability to identify complex issues and utilise knowledge to recommend creative solutions.
• Outstanding time management and organisational skills, with an ability to respond flexibly to changing priorities and differing situations, particularly during busy periods.
• Excellent IT skills (including demonstrable skills across all standard Microsoft Office packages).
• Knowledge and understanding of the capabilities of current assistive/enabling technology would be an advantage.
• Sound knowledge of related legislation including the General Data Protection Act.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics defined by the Equality Act 2010 and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area of business that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

Problem Solving and decision making

• Without reference to others, the post holder will function autonomously for most day-to-day duties referred to above. They will be required to solve the majority of practical and organisational problems related to the post independently. In more complex cases, it will be necessary to consult with others.
• Clear communication of issues that may need escalation. Awareness of legal risk.
• Management of caseload and day to day working that may need support from or action by another member of staff.

DBS required

The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Informal enquiries to Ali Bottrill, email: a.bottrill@bham.ac.uk

View our staff values and behaviours here

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .