Equality and diversity for teaching staff in colleges
Pastoral care
Pastoral care comprises the range of support andservices that are provided for students’ emotional,psychological and spiritual wellbeing. While mostcolleges will have specialist services dedicatedto the provision of this support, teaching or academicstaffwho come into everyday contact with students on courses also have a critical role to play, being best placedto observe behaviour in the learning environmentthat might indicate that a student is in need ofsupport. The relationship between academicachievement and resilience in dealing withpersonal issues is well documented, and a studentwho receives relevant and timely support indealing with the problems of everyday life is morelikely to have the energy and motivation to dowell in their studies.
Why is diversity best practice important in your pastoral care?
=Students will benefit from an approach to pastoral care thatrecognises their individual circumstances and can meet theirindividual needs.
=Factors such as caring responsibilities, disability, genderreassignment and family relationships have the potential toseriously impact upon a student’s academic achievement andgeneral wellbeing.
=Many students develop their political, cultural, social, sexual andspiritual identities while in education – and the journeywill not always be an easy one.
=Your reaction to the issues that students present and your abilityto understand their experiences are crucial in enabling them towork through their problems effectively.
=You have a legal responsibility to ensure that students areprotected from discrimination and harassment and thatreasonable adjustments are made to give disabled studentsequality of access in all aspects of their studies.
Checklist
Develop active listeningskills
Some students may be reluctant to talk about personal issues, toacknowledge that they have problems, or need help to focus onwhat their issue may be and you will need to use your skills to drawthem out so that they can begin to move forward.
Improve your understandingof diversity
The broader your knowledge of the issues that might affect yourstudents, the more chance that they will feel comfortable talking toyou and confident that you understand what they are saying. Thiscan be important if they are feeling isolated, which could be morelikely among international students, students dealing with mentalill health, or students who feel outside the majority culture in their course, or within the college. Your ability to connect with them, rather than beingseen as someone else who does not understand, may be critical totheir ability to make progress.
Be aware of stereotypes
An understanding of the issues that affect particular groups ofstudents can be useful in helping you to provide appropriatesupport, but it is important not to assume that every individual inthat group will have the same experience.
Cultivate emotionaldetachment
While it is important to build rapport with your students you alsoneed to avoid becoming too closely involved with their problemsto the point where the student passes responsibility for resolvingthe issue over to you. This can be particularly difficult when theempathy between you is strong (perhaps their experience issimilar to one you had, or, conversely, is completely outside yourexperience and so you have invested significant energy in puttingyourself in their shoes).
Work with student supportservices
Your college will have a number of services to support students,such as disability support, assistive technology, chaplaincy/faith advisers, studentfinance and health and well being advisers. Make sure that you know about thefull range of support available both in the college and via referral agencies and how to access it so that you canpoint students in the right direction. It may also be useful to learnabout student association networks and groups.
Consider being a role model
If you belong to a minority group in your college and arecomfortable sharing your experiences you may like to considerbecoming a role model. The visible presence of people fromminority groups who have succeeded within academia canencourage and provide reassurance for students who are feelingmarginalised or isolated.
Your equality and diversity practitioner/staff development adviser will be ableto help you develop your equality and diversity knowledge.
Further information on various aspects of pastoral care can befound at:
This is part of a series of factsheets for staff in colleges INSERT LINK
© Equality Challenge Unit 2013 ECU’s publications are produced free of charge to the UK HE sector and also for colleges in Scotland. Information can be reproduced as long as it is accurate, the source is identified and it will not be used for profit. Alternative formats are available: E
Company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales, No. 05689975.Charity no. 1114417 (England and Wales) and SC043601 (Scotland).