Welcome to the DIT Students’ Union Education and Welfare Service.  Have you seen our new Service Charter?

DIT Students’ Union Education and Welfare Service Charter.

This Service Charter was developed to offer a clear explanation of what service and advice we offer to you as a DIT student.  As a member of DIT Students’ Union, you are entitled to representation and to receive advice and information on your student rights and entitlements as per the DITSU Constitution. This Charter document explains what you can expect from us as a member of the service, what we can expect from you as a user, details of the service and how to contact us.

Introduction:
The purpose of this document is to outline what level of service (in the form of information, advice and representation), you as a member can expect from the officers and staff working within the DIT Students’ Union Education and Welfare function.

Mission:
Article 3.2 of the DITSU Constitution (2012):The Union shall also seek  to establish such services as it sees fit to improve the position of its
members, including on matters relating to education and welfare and to protect and further student
rights as citizens, in accordance with law. In the carrying out of these objectives, the Union shall aspire
to embrace the values of accountability, democracy, efficiency, professionalism and transparency.

Who are our Members?:
Individuals who are registered students and ‘eligible to register’ on DIT programmes of study are members of the DIT Students’ Union and are welcome to avail of the Education and Welfare Information and Advice service.

Who are we?:
The members of the team who deliver this service are;
Vice-President – Education & Welfare, Student Support Advisors, Information Assistants, Manager – Student Affairs and Director – Student Academic Affairs.

Our Service:
We provide Information, Advice and Representation for members in relation to Student Academic and Welfare issues including but not limited to the following areas: Accommodation, Finance, Health promotion, Employment, Assessments, Quality Assurance, Complaints, Facilities, Disciplinary matters and Regulations.

The Education and Welfare team is committed to the highest standards of this valuable service and it is our goal to deal with all our members professionally, fairly and with the utmost respect and courtesy.
This Charter is being put in place to improve service to our members by setting out what our members can expect from us and what we expect from them.

What you can expect of us:

Information which is timely, accurate and comprehensive taking into account confidentiality,
Data protection and privacy issues that may be involved.

Advice that is clear and relevant to your situation.

Advice that will enable you to take the necessary steps to deal with your issue.

Service available during lunchtime hours (any exception to this, will be posted on the website)

An acknowledgement to you within 5 working days of your enquiry.

Appropriate representation if required.

As part of our professional service, we maintain records of transactions with students; we will record information in a fair, accurate and relevant manner as per the requirements under the relevant legislation.  Records of your interaction with us in relation to Education and Student Affairs matters are kept in a secure environment.

We offer openness and impartiality in our dealings with you and treat members’ queries with courtesy and respect (we treat all queries in a non-judgemental manner).

We strive to offer realistic and reasonable responses to your query or advice on your situation.

We will not ‘over diagnose’ your situation.

We offer consistent and professional information and advice from the Information and Advice centres at each Students’ Union office.

We may withdraw E&W service if the matters in question are outside the scope of the E&W service and / or if we have exhausted all options.  When all avenues have been explored we reserve the right to draw natural conclusion to case.

We strive to offer privacy when you drop-in and offer a scheduled appointment with us to discuss your situation when reasonable.

What we expect of you:
Honesty- you need to give us all the relevant information so that we can offer you the appropriate information and advice to that you can make an informed decision.

Respect – we are a professional information and advice service and we cannot allow disrespectful or aggressive behaviour in our offices or when, dealing with a student on-line or on the phone.

Punctuality – we expect you to show up on time for your appointment or contact us in a timely manner if you need to reschedule.

Courtesy – Please be courteous and polite when dealing with members of the E&W team.
If you do not have complete information at time of presenting to the E&W staff member and you are required to follow up with documentation or statement; please do so in a timely manner, and note that it is your responsibility to do so.

Service Commitment:
We will provide service in a fair, courteous and, timely manner with a focus on information and will offer advice and representation to you as required.

Withdrawal of service:
In extreme and rare circumstances, we reserve the right to withdraw the E&W service and will not deal with any student especially those who exhibit violent / threatening behaviour to us or seek to have us complicit in illegal activities or actions that are in breach of the DIT’s rules and procedures.

Any student who believes that services have been withdrawn unfairly has the Right of appeal: to the DITSU Deputy CEO and DITSU President.

This charter sets out the function of the ASA service in accordance with:

- DITSU Constitution
- DITSU HR Policies and Procedures
- The Equal Status Act
- DIT’s regulations and procedures

Confidentiality:
In conditions of confidentiality we are subject to the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003 and Child Care Act 1991. Such exemptions to confidentiality include;

If the ASA staff member is alerted to a child at risk, as defined by the Child Care Act the staff member has an ethical responsibility to act appropriately (see Guidelines on Management of Clients Presenting with a History of Childhood Abuse/Sexual Abuse – link to follow).

If the ASA staff assesses that a student is at significant risk of harming his/her self or others then that staff member has an obligation to refer the matter appropriately.

The records maintained by the ASA staff may be subpoenaed by a court of law.

How to Contact Us:

Drop In:
See www.ditsu.ie for location information of SU offices.

Make Appointment:
By contacting your local Student Support Advisor/Information Assistant.  See www.ditsu.ie for contact details.

Online:
Check out ditsu.ie for all office contacts and email addresses.

E-Mail: [email protected] and we will contact you.

Phone:
See ditsu.ie for all Education and Welfare service contact details.

Feedback:

We welcome feedback and all feedback is treated in the strictest confidence and will be used to improve the service, and in training identification and monitoring. Just contact us using any of the methods listed above.

Third Parties:

We are not in a position to offer consultation or service to the parents/guardians or any third party relating to affairs of our members, without the members’ explicit written permission.