Current student support

Bullying and harassment

We have a duty of care to our students, and wish to provide everyone with a safe, fair and comfortable training and education environment. We therefore have a student charter which expresses how we expect you as a student to behave, and what you can expect from us.

All students at the Tavistock and Portman are expected to conduct themselves at all times in a manner that is not harmful to themselves or fellow students, to maintain a professional and courteous approach in their dealings with others and to comply with the law, both on site and on placement.

If you have any concerns about the conduct of a fellow student, or feel bullied or harassed by a fellow student, please contact your course lead or personal tutor in the first instance. If a concern is raised about a student’s behaviour then we will follow the Student Conduct Concerns Procedure to investigate the concerns and, where necessary, take appropriate action. Students on programmes accredited by professional bodies should be aware that adverse conduct findings may affect their ability to register and practice in the future.

If you have experienced bullying or harassment by a member of Trust staff then the matter will be dealt with under the procedures that relate to their position as an employee. These policies and procedures are all available on the Trust website.

Student regulations, policies and procedures

As a student at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, you are entering into a contractual agreement between you, the Trust and any validating university and professional accreditation body that is relevant to your course.

The policies, procedures and regulations apply to both students and staff and are written with fairness in mind. They cover areas such as professional suitability and taking a break in your studies. It is important that you are aware of them.

We also have a dedicated page on Assessment which covers: avoiding plagiarism; how your work is marked and verified; penalties if you submit late, plagiarise or breach confidentiality; what to do if you can’t submit on time due to extenuation, and other helpful information around assessment. Please go to tavistockandportman.nhs.uk/training and search  assessment.

The regulations, policies and procedures that apply to you will depend on which university partner validates your course. If you are unsure, the validating university’s logo is found on the front cover of your course handbook, which can be found on your course Moodle page. Please familiarise yourself with the regulations, policies and procedures here: student regulations.

Freedom to speak up

The Department of Education and Training, as providers of training to NHS staff and other staff working in the Public Sector believe that our students should be informed and encouraged to adhere to the recommendations of the Francis Review and to ensure that they feel supported in developing the highest standards of practice. Our training aims to support the required cultural shift; enhancing our expertise in reflective practice to demonstrate that flagging up problems, risks and mistakes as they occur, and learning from them will contribute to improving patient care.

You will need to be aware of how the freedom to speak up relates to your own work settings.

Once you start your studies with us, please take time to look at the Moodle page called Freedom to speak up for more information.

Student contribution

We need your help as students to make sure we provide the service that you need while you are studying with us.

We also need to know what we’re doing right and what we might need to improve on. There are several different ways to get involved with varying levels of commitment. Please help us to ensure that our courses live up to their world-class reputation. Please visit student contribution .

Student complaints

Although we wish to provide the best experience possible for our students, on occasion we can get things wrong. We want to ensure that our students have a voice and an ability to express concerns about all aspects of our delivery.

Our complaints procedure is available on our website.

If you have a concern or issue that you would like to discuss please contact your course lead or personal tutor in the first instance.

If your issue has not been resolved satisfactorily by your course lead or personal tutor, or you do not feel you are able to talk to them, please contact our DET complaints liaison officer, Isabelle Bratt at detcomplaints@tavi-port.nhs.uk. 

We have an inclusive approach to supporting our students who have a disability, or a special learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyspraxia, or a long-term medical condition or a mental health condition. We respond to the requirements of individuals to ensure that you have equal and fair access to our courses wherever possible. We design our curriculum and assessment with all students in mind.

We can offer advice and support before you begin your studies. Please email Sara Riley or Annjo Joy, if you would like a confidential discussion about how we can support you in your studies.

Read or download our Students with disabilities procedure.

Facilities for disabled students include:

• An automatic entry system.
  
• Ramps.
  
• Opening swing doors.
  
• Toilets for people with disabilities (located on the ground floor).
  
• A low-level reception counter.
  
• Signs in Braille.
  
• A portable induction loop.
  

Library support for students with disabilities and learning difficulties

The Library provides a range of support services for library users with disabilities and specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyspraxia. For full details, visit the library’s dedicated webpage for users with disabilities and learning difficulties. For enquiries about library support, please contact Lise Szwann, the Disability Support Librarian: LSzwann@tavi-port.ac.uk.

Financial help for students with disabilities and learning difficulties

Please follow the link below to the Government’s website for information about the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) visit: https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas

Personal tutor and tutorials

Throughout your studies, you will have a personal tutor who will meet with you regularly. As well as discussing your progress, your tutor can support you with any difficulties you may encounter. Tutorials are held at least termly. More details about the role of the personal tutor can be found in your course handbook.

Student advice and consultation service (only available in term time)

During your studies, personal and professional issues might arise that you do not wish to share with your personal tutor. If this happens you can seek help in complete confidence from our student advice and consultation service. Students are eligible for three sessions with a staff volunteer who is a member of the professional staff within the Trust. In the initial meeting an assessment will be made of the nature of the difficulty. The follow-up sessions will review whether any further help of a specialist or longer term nature is required and the student will be given assistance in finding such help. Confidentiality is assured and you will be seen by a staff member who is not connected to your studies. No notes will be kept of the consultation.

This service is only available in term time to current students. The service is co-ordinated by Kate McWilliams. Kate works on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday during term time only.

Personal therapy

If you are on a clinical course where you will be seeing patients, you will need to have personal therapy throughout the length of your course. In some instances, you may need to be in therapy for a year prior to, as well as during, your clinical training.

If you have any concerns arising from this, you should discuss them with your personal tutor, course lead or the course administrator, and we’ll endeavour to support you however we can.

At Postgraduate level, students often find there is limited financial support available to them. It is therefore important that when applying for study, you consider the availability of finance for both tuition fees and living costs.

All of our Masters-level courses are now eligible for new Government-funded postgraduate loans – please see the section on postgraduate loans below.

The majority of our students pay their tuition fees through one of the following means:

Self-funding students

If your course fees are more than £650 per academic year, you can pay in three equal instalments. The first is due at enrolment, the second on 15th December and the third on 15th March. Payment should be done online by debit or credit card.

Postgraduate student loans

The Government introduced postgraduate loans in the academic year 2016/17. We are pleased to say that all of our Masters level courses are eligible for these loans and students can apply for them up to nine months after their course has started. These loans will allow you to borrow up to £10,000 to cover fees and living costs and will be paid in instalments to your bank account. You will not start paying the loan back until you have finished your course and are earning over £21,000.

In order to enrol on a course, you will need to pay 10% of your fee even if the loan has not been approved. The remaining fee will be due in three instalments aligned with your SLC instalments.

The criteria for accessing a Government postgraduate loan through the Student Loans Company depends on:

• whether you’ve studied on a postgraduate course before
  
• your course
  
• your age
  
• your nationality or residency status. 
  

Please note that only Masters level courses are covered by this particular loan scheme – our Trust Certificates, PG Certificates and Diplomas and Professional Doctorates are not eligible. You also have to be under the age of 60 and be studying at this level for the first time. For further information, please see information on the gov.uk website.

Our eligible courses are:

• Foundations of psychodynamic psychotherapy
  
• Psychoanalytic studies
  
• Working with children, young people & families: a psychoanalytic observational approach
  
• Systemic psychotherapy
  
• Consulting and leading in organisations: psychodynamic and systemic approaches
  
• Psychological therapies with children, young people, and families
  

In order to apply for a loan, please go to the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/postgraduate-loan and follow these directions:

You will need to search for University of Essex as the institution (even though Tavistock and Portman is listed in the search bar, this will not bring up the courses).

If your course is of an intermediate duration between two and three years you can enter either two year or three year duration and the course will come up, though you will see that the course is listed as a three year course even if you have selected the two year duration. We would recommend that you select all courses longer than 24 months as a three year duration to ensure they are displayed.

Please note that applications can be made up to nine months after the start of the course and you will be entitled to receive the full loan amount. Unfortunately, students who commenced a course prior to academic year 2016-17 are not eligible to apply.

When your application has been approved by the Student Loans Company (SLC), the SLC will release the first instalment, usually up to five working days after receipt of the confirmation from the University of Essex that you are registered.

Any change to your academic status post-registration (e.g. intermission, withdrawal, change of course, change of mode of study) will require prompt communication to the SLC, our Student Registry and your Course Administrator.

For any queries please contact Bhavna Tailor, Finance Manager: BTailor@tavi-port.nhs.uk

Employer sponsorship and funding

Some employers are willing to pay all or part of course fees. This might be through sponsorship or a professional development grant.

Some NHS Trusts might be able to get funding through their education and workforce development directorates.

Teachers and social workers may ask for advice from their local authority training officers.

Some children’s Trusts have professional development funds. They may also have training priorities and a prescribed list indicating what they will and will not fund.

If your employer sponsors you, we will invoice them directly but you must provide details of your sponsorship arrangements when you apply and enrol. Please note, employers will not be able to pay in instalments.

Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust student loan fund

If you are enrolled on one of the following clinical professional courses and are NOT funded by a local authority or other sponsor or employer, you may apply for an interest-free loan from our student loan fund, up to a maximum of £2,000 per year.

Eligible courses are:

• Interdisciplinary training in adult psychotherapy (excluding SpRs),
  
• Foundations of psychodynamic psychotherapy,
  
• Inter-cultural psychodynamic psychotherapy,
  
• Psychodynamic psychotherapy with couples,
  
• Forensic psychodynamic psychotherapy,
  
• Systemic psychotherapy,
  
• Systemic family therapy supervision,
  
• Consultation and training and psychoanalytic child and adolescent psychotherapy (self-funders only).

If you are successful, you will have to begin to repay the loans in the required instalments to commence six months prior to your course completion date. Otherwise, interest will be charged.

Please note that you can only apply for a student loan once you are enrolled on a course. For more information about student loan funds please contact Saphron Birkett, PA to the Dean of Postgraduate Studies.

Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust access fund

We have a limited sum of money to assist students whose financial circumstances suddenly change for the worse. If you are in this position, you can apply for a bursary of up to £750 as a maximum contribution towards your course fees. The amount you will actually receive depends on your financial circumstances, the annual fee for your course, and the number of other applicants to the access fund. It is our policy to try to help as many applicants in need as possible. 

These bursaries don’t have to be repaid, but you can only apply once you are enrolled on a course.

For more information about access funds please email Saphron Birkett, PA to the Dean of Postgraduate Studies: SBirkett@tavi-port.nhs.uk

Funding for research students

Students who are studying for a professional doctorate at the Trust can find more information and guidance about research funding through NOCLOR.

Financial help for students with disabilities and learning difficulties

Please follow the link below to the Government’s website for information about the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) visit: https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas