Coronavirus Recovery: advice and latest information

Information for Parents

Information for Parents & Guardians

Starting University is a pivotal point in a person’s life. For a lot of students, going away to university is also the first time they have lived away from home. This is a massive change for the new students and can be just as challenging for their Parents and Guardians.

When you have been the primary caregiver for your child, it can be hard leaving them alone, to learn how to look after their own needs. It's important to try and let them learn to look after themselves and become more independent which can mean taking a step back or letting them make their own mistakes.

What to look out for?

What kind of things will your Son/Daughter need to cope with?

New Student Life
Living in shared accommodation.
Learning how to live independently.
Homesickness.
Making new friends.
A higher level of academic work.

Symptoms of Difficulties

The majority of students thoroughly enjoy their time at Swansea University. But for some, it doesn’t always go to plan. It is important that you are alert to signs that they may be having difficulties:

Things to look out for
Sadness / Depressive mood
Tearful, crying and frequent emotional outbursts
Anger / Resentment
Loss of interest
Withdrawal from social interactions
Tiredness
Difficulty making decisions
Missing lectures
Falling behind
Changes in appetite
Self-harm
Risk taking behaviours

If you notice a number of these signs, you should discuss them with your child and advise them to seek support.

Pressure Points within the Academic Year

There are key points in the year when students are more likely to find things difficult. Not all students will be affected by this pattern, but most will swing from being excited to upset, especially during the first term. This is a natural process for all students.

Time of Year	Pressure point
Beginning of the year	Leaving home and adapting to being independent at University can be a stressful time for students. It will take time for things to settle down and for them to make friends here at Swansea. Students have to learn how to cook, clean and live a balanced lifestyle.
Mid-term	Assignment deadlines are looming and Christmas feels like a million miles away. This is normally an ideal time for a parent/guardian or friend to visit. This can help ease the anxiety of living away from home.
December	Having lived independently for a couple of months, students may find it hard leaving their new friends to return home for the Christmas break. Living by your rules may also cause conflict. Discuss these rules before they arrive home, so everyone will know what to expect.
January/February	It’s dark, cold, and time to move back to student accommodation. Students may find this time of year difficult as they might have gotten used to their home comforts over the break. You, as a parent, might find this time difficult as you might have enjoyed having your son/daughter home for the Christmas period. It’s revision time for most students and the anxiety of sitting exams in a new setting could be kicking in.
May/June	It's exam time again and students may be finding it hard to revise with the temptation of summer weather and parties. Students may receive difficult news towards the end of June/July if they didn't achieve the grades they hoped for. Students may avoid sharing bad news with Parents/Guardians as they may be worried to disappoint you.
August	Students who deferred exams due to extenuating circumstances (such as illness or bereavement) as well as those who failed their exams may have the opportunity to re-sit certain exams. Temporary accommodation may be available on a first-come-first-served basis for those who don't have somewhere to stay during the two-week period. Students can contact Accommodation for advice.

Practical advice & tips

What can you do as a Parent/Guardian?

Try to	How can this help?
Be Supportive	You may be struggling to come to terms with your child moving away from home. Supporting your child will help you both.
Support their Transition	Encourage your child to have realistic expectations about University. The transition from school/college to degree level can be a shock for some students.
Stay in Touch	Being a phone call away can be a real help for you both but don’t forget to give them time to adapt in the first couple of weeks.
Reassure Them	Moving to University can be quite daunting. Remind them that it is normal to feel anxious, nervous and apprehensive. These feelings are part of the whole process of leaving home and going to University.
Reduce Pressure to Succeed	Setting high goals for students to achieve can be unhelpful whilst they are trying to cope with the transition to higher education. Most students put enough pressure on themselves to achieve a good degree outcome.
Encourage Them to Get Involved	There are plenty of clubs and societies here in Swansea. Joining a team/club can help to improve their Swansea University experience. It’s a great way to make new friends and learn something new.
Encourage Them to Seek Support	Here at Swansea, we strive to support students whenever possible. If your son/daughter is struggling to cope, encourage them to seek support from CampusLife or their College.

Who to contact if you have concerns

Welfare@CampusLife

If you have concerns for your son or daughter, you can talk to Welfare@CampusLife who may be able to provide you with generic advice and guidance on the support available to students.

Email: welfare.campuslife@swansea.ac.uk

Security

Outside of working hours (9-5 Mon-Fri), we advise that you call University Security if you have serious or immediate concerns.

Campus	Phone Number
Singleton Security	01792 205678
Bay Security	01792 606010

You can also encourage your son/daughter to download the Safezone app which allows them to notify Secuirty on campus if they need immediate support. Find out more here.

Wellbeing Service

Concerned about a student's mental health? See the Wellbeing Services' Help in a Crisis page.

Confidentiality and Data Protection Information for Parents

To ensure we respect the privacy of all students and to comply with data protection law, please note that University staff cannot discuss matters relating to individual students with a third party, even where this third party is a close relative, parent/guardian or friend. This even extends to confirming the student status of an individual – in other words, in most circumstances, we cannot confirm to a third party whether a person is a current student or not.

We realise that this can sometimes be frustrating, but hope you appreciate the reasons for this. If you are a parent/guardian, family member or friend of a student, we may be able to contact the student and let them know that you have been in touch with us. We may also be able to help by providing you with some general information about student support issues at the University.

Information for Parents