NON-MEDICAL HELP SERVICES REFERENCE MANUAL - WWW.GOV.UK/STUDENTFINANCE
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Non-Medical
Help Services
Reference
Manual
www.gov.uk/studentfinance
/SF_EnglandCONTENTS
Part One:
Introduction and background 3
The development of the framework 4
Who is this guide for 5
Part Two:
User Guide 6
Using this manual 6
Activities and Activity Titles 6
Descriptors 7
Qualifications and Training 7
Using the framework 7
Exceptions 8
Part Three:
Details of activities within each cost band 9
Band One £15 - £25 9
Practical Support Assistant 10
Library Support Assistant 10
Reader 11
Scribe 11
Workshop/Laboratory Assistant 11
Sighted Guide 11
Proof Reader 12
Band Two £20 - £30 12
Study Assistant 13
Examination Support Workers 14
Manual Notetakers 14
Band Three £35 - £42 15
Communication Support Workers 15
Electronic Notetakers 16
Specialist Transcription Service 17
Mobility Trainer 17
Band Four £50 - £65 18
Specialist Mentors 19
Specialist One to One Study Skills Support 19
British Sign Language Interpreters 21
Language Support Tutor for deaf students 22
Assistive Technology Trainers 22
Part Four:
Summary of Cost Bands 24
2PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Student Finance England is a service provided by the Student Loans
Company. We provide financial support on behalf of the UK Government
to students from England entering higher education in the UK.
This Reference Manual has been produced based on research
commissioned by us into the area of non-medical help provision funded
under the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs). In developing this manual,
we were advised by our Disabled Students’ Stakeholder Group (DSSG), a
group consisting of a wide range of stakeholders who support and advise us
on issues related to DSAs.
The overall purpose of this Reference Manual is to provide procurement
guidance for our DSAs team to use when assessing needs assessment
report recommendations for non-medical help services. This manual
provides a framework for us to compare services and help provide value for
money of DSAs funded non-medical help services.
To ensure that students receive a consistent level of non-medical help
services, this Reference Manual provides a coherent framework of cost
bands with:
• a list of services/activities provided by non-medical helpers allowable
within DSAs regulations;
• Activity descriptors for each activity title;
• the training, range of qualifications, type/level of experience and
professional standards required by the individual providing the service; and
• the range of expected costs for each activity.
DSAs are designed to cover the cost of extra support that is required
by individual disabled students to enable them to participate in Higher
Education (HE) on an equal basis to other students. Over the years, Higher
Education Institutions (HEIs) and providers have developed a rich and
varied range of different types of support. This manual should not reduce or
constrain the necessary flexibility of an allowance which is aimed to support
a wide range of individual need. However, there is a very wide range of
activity descriptors and costs in the market and there is a general recognition
that there requires to be a common, national framework to ensure that all
disabled students, wherever they might be studying, have equal access
to good quality and cost appropriate non-medical help support. It is this
framework which this Reference Manual aims to provide.
3DSAs are not the only source of support for disabled students in HE. All
HEIs and further education colleges funded by Higher Education Funding
Council for England (HEFCE) receive a funding allocation to widen access
and improve provision for disabled students. HE providers also have specific
duties under the Equalities Act to make reasonable adjustments for disabled
students. These duties should anticipate individual needs and apply to all
disabled students, not just those receiving DSAs.
The development of this Reference Manual has been informed by a research
study which involved a detailed review of documentary evidence, wide
consultation with disabled students and approximately 150 stakeholders
involved in the delivery of DSAs funded services. This manual is
complimented by the Non-Medical Help Charter developed by the Medical
Helper Co-ordinators Group.
The development of the framework
The research undertaken in developing the framework analysed more than
100 different non-medical helper job titles and descriptors, the type of
support provided and the rates charged per hour for each type of service.
The outcome of this analysis was a framework with four cost bands. The
non-medical help activities were consolidated into the minimum number
necessary to cover the full range of support functions required. They
were then allocated to the appropriate cost band according to the activity
undertaken and the level of training or qualification required.
The activity titles and activity descriptors included in this Reference Manual
have been drawn up in accordance with the Department of Business,
Innovation and Skills (BIS) Guidance on Disabled Students’ Allowance 2011-
2012 which states that DSAs are provided to support disabled students
in their learning but are not intended for ‘the costs of academic tuition or
support in the main subject(s) area being studied’ as ‘institutions should
normally meet these costs as part of providing the course’. (para.97). Subject
specific academic support cannot be funded by DSAs and is not included in
the framework.
The activities and descriptors in this Reference Manual are, in the majority of
instances, generic descriptors which focus on a student’s access to learning
rather than using a disability led ‘medical’ model.
4Who the guide is for
This Reference Manual has been developed not just to benefit us,
but also for HEIs; external providers of non-medical help for disabled
students; DSAs assessors and disabled students themselves.
For us, it provides a more transparent way of ensuring that the costs of
non-medical help services are comparable and represent an appropriate cost
for the service provided. This is key to ensuring value for money. It includes
broad activity descriptions for the wide range of support activities and
services allowable under DSAs guidelines. This manual will promote greater
equity and value for money in the provision of non-medical help services.
For HEI Disability Advisers and external providers of support services it
provides guidelines on the types of non-medical help services and activities
which may be funded under DSAs, the cost bands within which each activity
is located and the appropriate qualifications and/or skills and/or training
required to undertake each activity.
For Non-Medical Helpers this manual provides a clear picture of what
support they are expected to provide within the particular recommendation
and the appropriate qualifications and/or skills and/or training required
to undertake each activity.
For disabled students who employ their own non-medical helpers it
provides a clear indication of the type of work that their non-medical helpers
should undertake and the appropriate qualifications and/or skills and/or
training required to perform each activity. In addition, all disabled students,
whether or not they are employing their own non-medical helpers, can use
the manual to understand the kind of support they can expect to receive and
feel confident that it falls within a national framework.
For assessors this Manual provides information on how non-medical help
work should be described and categorised when recommended and charged
to us. This will help assessors formulate their assessments in accordance
with a national framework.
5PART TWO: USER GUIDE
USING THIS MANUAL
The framework:
Bands – functions and costs
In this Reference Manual the various support activities which are permissible
under DSAs have been grouped into four bands, based both on type of
activity and cost. A major finding of the research study was that the rates
charged for the same type of non-medical help services varied considerably
for a variety of legitimate reasons.
Detailed analysis of the way in which the costs of non-medical help services
were calculated identified variables such as the employment status of the
non-medical helper, whether salaried or hourly paid /sessional, employed or
self-employed, contracted through an HEI and offering in-house provision,
contracted through an external service provider and delivering outsourced
non-medical help or various combinations of both, or whether employed
directly by a disabled student. The cost components included in the rates
charged included further variables related to, for example: pay rates;
employment on-costs; the allowable additional costs in arranging and
administering non-medical help support. The breadth of the cost bands are
therefore relatively wide to allow for these legitimate variations. Where there
are particular factors that have a direct impact on the cost of a specific
non-medical help activity, these are described in Part Three. The cost bands
are exclusive of VAT.
Activities and Activity Titles
The activity titles which have been used in this Reference Manual are
those generally agreed to be the most widely used and understood and
should be the ones referred to by providers when communicating with us.
However, individual HEIs and external providers may continue to use their
own preferred titles within their own particular context, if they wish. It is
acknowledged that while some non-medical helpers might be employed
specifically to carry out one particular activity, e.g. notetaking, others might
be employed to carry out a range of different activities.
6Descriptors
The activity descriptors detailed in Part Three provide a succinct description
of the key purpose and tasks which make up a particular activity. Providers
may have their own more detailed activity/job descriptions.
Qualifications and Training
Activity descriptors are followed by a brief note on the qualifications,
training and competencies required for each activity. In some areas there
are nationally recognised qualifications for staff undertaking non-medical
help activities and in these instances staff would be expected to have these
qualifications or perform at a standard of those who hold them. However,
there are many areas where there are no formal qualifications and where
experience and also ‘soft skills’ such as interpersonal skills which are not
necessarily formally accredited are particularly important. Several HEIs and
external providers currently provide a generic level of training, monitoring
and support for all non-medical help workers and also activity specific
training where the activity requires this. This training may or may not be
accredited by the institution. This Manual works on the assumption that all
non-medical helpers should receive some kind of generic training.
Using the framework
We expect DSAs claims to use the activity titles listed in this Manual and that
the non-medical helpers fulfil the duties described under the relevant activity
title. This does not preclude any organisation or individual from using their
own preferred job titles in their day to day work.
During the first phase of the implementation the cost bands show indicative
costs only and will be used to benchmark costs for future years. We’ll
monitor invoices against the appropriate cost bands to assess whether
rates remain largely within the parameters expected. In future years the
expectation will be that non-medical help claims will not exceed the
appropriate cost band maximum.
We don’t expect to see the rates previously charged for non-medical help
services to increase without reason, even when they fall below the band
costs in the framework or when they are well below the upper limit. We’ll put
in place measures to monitor this situation.
There will be occasions where a student’s assessed needs require support
that falls into more than one band. On occasion the support may be
delivered by a single non-medical helper that is qualified to deliver more than
one type of support – for example notetaker and reader.
7The hourly rate charged should fall within the appropriate band for the
specific support that is being provided. For example, a single non-medical
helper might primarily fulfil the activity of electronic notetakers (band three)
for three hours a week but might also act as a reader or scribe (band one) for
an hour a week. In this case, the claim would be three hours at band three
and one hour at band one. An exception to this would be where the study
needs assessor has recommended a study assistant. In such cases the
support would fall within band two, we expect this to be uncommon.
Students are entitled to expect good quality and consistent standards of
non-medical help support that adheres to the specifications in this Manual.
All non-medical helpers need to have the required level of knowledge,
skills, training and qualifications (where appropriate) to deliver the support
competently and to meet professional standards.
The use of the framework should not impose constraints on the flexibility
necessary to meet disabled students’ requirements. Where students’ needs
change over time or in response to changes in the course requirements or
context, they should be reassessed as at present.
Exceptions
It’s expected that the majority of claims will be able to fit into the bands and
activity descriptors presented in this Reference Manual. However, there may
be rare cases when an individual exception to the use of these bands needs
to be made.
Included within the anticipated exceptions are four additional activities which
are within the scope of DSAs but which only occur infrequently. These are:
• Lip Speaker: who conveys a speaker’s message to lip readers accurately
using unvoiced speech;
• Deaf Blind Support Worker: who, through the Deafblind Manual
Alphabet, relays at appropriate speed what is said by a third party to a
deafblind person;
• Speech to text reporter: who produces a verbatim record of everything
that is said (including references to laughter etc.) which is shown instantly
on a monitor or screen; and
• Specialist Braille Transcription: a specialist Braille reader who will
translate between text and Braille.
At this stage there are insufficient data or other evidence to allocate these
particular activities to the cost bands. Since these activities occur very
infrequently in practice, they will be dealt with as exceptions.
8PART THREE: DETAILS OF ACTIVITIES WITHIN
EACH COST BAND
This part of the Reference Manual provides the overview of each
band with:
• band number and cost;
• generic band title;
• band descriptor; and
• functions undertaken within the band.
Following on from this, for each activity within the band, further detailed
information is provided on:
• activity titles;
• activity descriptors;
• knowledge, skills, qualifications/training required for each activity; and
• any specific costing factors.
Band One £15 - £25
Support Assistants: This band includes activities which provide
practical assistance for students. Staff carrying out these activities
have the skills and competence to work effectively, at the direction
of the student, in their own particular context.
Functions undertaken by Support Assistants include:
• Providing practical support around the campus
• Providing practical support in the library, laboratory or
workshop/studio etc.
• Reading aloud
• Scribing
• Text checking (pointing out errors but not providing corrections)
Roles which might provide this support include:
• Practical Support Assistant
• Library Support Assistant
• Reader
• Scribe
• Workshop/Laboratory Assistant
• Sighted Guide
• Proof Reader
9Practical Support Assistant
Sometimes referred to as: Mobility Assistant; Personal Assistant;
Non-Medical Helper (Physical Assistance); Campus Orientation; Ongoing
Mobility Assistance; General Support Worker (Carrying); Buddy Campus
Orientation; Social Support;
Activity: This activity can have several aspects. It may include providing
practical and mobility support to assist a student with a physical impairment
in manoeuvring around the campus. This could include helping to manipulate
a wheelchair, carrying books, IT equipment etc. It could also include general
orientation and finding out where things are located for students whose
disability means that they have problems with orientation. It could also
include ‘social support’ in order to ensure access to the wider aspects of
student life, for example for a student on the autistic spectrum who had
difficulty with social interaction. While some of these tasks, such as carrying
equipment for a student with mobility difficulties, will need to continue
throughout a student’s course, others, such as general orientation, should
decrease as the student becomes more able to manage independently. In
all cases the assistant will need to liaise with the student in order to arrange
locations/times etc. and to hold regular reviews with the student to assess
how well the support is working.
Skills required: Some experience/understanding of providing support for
disabled adults; thorough knowledge of the campus; good interpersonal
skills.
Qualifications/training: Generic non-medical help training. Those whose
support activity includes supporting wheelchair users will also need to have
had specific health and safety training relevant to the physical demands of
their activity.
Library Support Assistant
Activity: To help students search library catalogues, locate materials, collect
materials, photocopying etc.
Skills required: Good working knowledge of the library.
Qualifications/training: Generic non-medical help training; understanding of
the HE context.
10Reader
Activity: To read aloud for a student whose disability makes reading or other
forms of accessing text impossible.
Skills required: Clear reading voice; sufficient skills to cope with the
demands of the text including any technical jargon.
Qualifications and training: Generic non-medical help training; some
understanding of the HE context.
Scribe
Activity: To write down or type what a student dictates.
Skills Required: Clear handwriting and/or accurate keyboarding skills; good
spelling and punctuation; sufficient skills to cope with the area of work being
followed by the student including any technical jargon; understanding of the
boundaries of this activity including personal integrity and an awareness that
the scribe’s activity is to write down exactly what the student says and not to
make any amendments or changes to content.
Qualifications and Training: Generic non-medical help training; competency
in English; understanding of the HE context.
Workshop/Laboratory Assistant
Activity: To support a student in gaining access to the practical aspects of
their course, e.g. in the laboratory or in a workshop/studio situation, e.g.
technical workshop or dance studio.
Skills Required: Knowledge and experience of the particular educational
setting, e.g. laboratory or workshop.
Training/qualifications: Generic non-medical help training; sufficient
knowledge in the requisite practical area; health and safety training relevant
to the particular workshop context.
Sighted Guide
Activity: To provide one to one mobility assistance to a student with a visual
impairment helping them navigate their way around the campus.
Skills required: Thorough knowledge of the campus; good interpersonal
skills.
Qualifications/training: Generic non-medical help training; training in
techniques and etiquette for guiding people with a visual impairment.
11Proof Reader
Sometimes referred to as: Text Checker
Activity: To read through the student’s work and point out the types of errors
that the student has made in grammar/spelling/structure etc. and to suggest
ways of rectifying these in the future. The activity is not to correct mistakes
for the student or to comment or advise on content.
Skills Required: Fast reader but also good attention to detail; an
understanding of the area of work being followed by the student including
any technical jargon; an understanding of the boundaries of this activity
including personal integrity and an awareness that the proof reader’s role is
to support the student to learn to recognise their own mistakes and is not to
make any amendments or changes to content.
Qualifications/Training: Generic non-medical help training with particular
emphasis on boundaries of activity; understanding of the HE context.
Band Two £20 - £30
Enhanced Support Assistants: These are activities which demand an
enhanced level of skill, knowledge and training to Band One activities.
Functions undertaken by Enhanced Support Assistants include:
• Supporting students to develop their independence and autonomy in
HE, for example by providing support with issues such as time keeping;
organisational skills etc and can be supplemented by practical support
e.g. library support, workshop support etc.
• Supporting a disabled student during examinations
Roles which might provide this support include:
• Study Assistant
• Examination Support Worker
• Manual Notetaker
12Study Assistant
Sometimes referred to as: Education Assistant; Learning Support Assistant;
Specialist Assistant; DSAs Assistant; Study Mentor; Study Buddy; Learning
Support Facilitator.
Activity: This role should only be recommended when the demands of the
role call for a mix of enabling strategies complemented by some practical
assistance. This is likely to be when the student has a range of support
requirements because of their combined complex circumstances. A range
of enabling support is the focus of the activity e.g. supporting the student in
adapting to the academic demands of HE, providing information, helping with
time keeping, helping with organisational skills etc and can be supplemented
by practical support e.g. library support, workshop support etc.
The intention is that this role is recommended only where the circumstances of
the student mean that it would be impractical to record a number of different
duties that may take place within a small time frame e.g. within the same hour.
The assessor should be clear what range of activities is being recommended
within the role and the period they are expected to be needed for.
Providing a range of Band One activities will not elevate those activities to
the study assistant role. In some instances an assessor may recommend
study assistance initially, but then recommend that this is reduced to
practical assistance as the course progresses and the student develops the
strategies to manage independently.
Skills required: An enhanced level of skill and experience of working
with disabled students and an understanding of the barriers which
disabled students may have in accessing learning, but not the specialist
experience and knowledge of those working at Band Four, One to One
Study Skills Support or Specialist Mentors; knowledge of the way the
institution/organisation works and the demands of studying in HE; excellent
interpersonal skills; clear understanding of issues of confidentiality.
Qualifications/training: Generic non-medical help training and also a level
of specialist training relevant to the demands of the activity; understanding of
the HE context.
13Examination Support Workers
Activity: To support a disabled student to gain access to the examination
and fulfil its requirements. This covers the activities of exam reader, exam
scribe and exam prompter. It can include reading out the examination paper,
writing down student answers using exactly the words used by the student
and for some students, e.g. those on the autistic spectrum who might get
very focussed on a particular question, giving a prompt as to when it is time
to move on to another.
Skills required: Clear reading voice; excellent spelling and grammar; clear
handwriting and/or good and accurate keyboard skills; ability to cope with
any specialist vocabulary or technical jargon; clear understanding of the
activity and high level of personal integrity in order to not make any additions
or amendments to student’s answers.
Training/qualifications: Generic non-medical help training; competent
knowledge of English; specific subject expertise where relevant e.g. to cope
with technical jargon; understanding of the HE context.
NB. While some HEIs see examination support as a part of their duties which
should be provided under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), others see
it as a provision which should be included in an individual student’s DSAs.
BIS Guidelines state that while special arrangements that need to be made
to enable a disabled student to take an examination (e.g. providing specialist
access or a separate room) should not be charged to DSAs, costs such as
those for a specialist helper do fall within the scope of DSAs (para. 97).
Manual Notetakers
Activity: To support students who require notes to be taken on their behalf,
for example because they have a physical impairment, are deaf or dyslexic.
The activity of notetaking is to produce an accurate and legible handwritten
record of the content of lectures, seminars, discussions, off-campus events
etc. in the student’s preferred style and format. Notes should contain
pertinent information from the session (and any questions and discussion if
required), may include diagrams and may be referenced to any hand-outs.
The notetaker must hand over notes in the agreed format within a specified
time frame.
Skills required: Clear and legible handwriting at speed; accurate spelling
and grammar skills; familiarity with subject specific vocabulary and technical
language; disability awareness and deaf awareness specifically when
working with deaf students.
14Qualifications/training: a standard of education to at least second year degree
level, the undertaking and completion of specialist notetaker training (may be
in-house training) which includes the formal assessment and evaluation of skills
and suitability, the successful achievement of that assessment and evaluation.
Band Three £35 - £42
Specialist Enabling Support: These are activities which demand specific
expertise and specialist training in a particular access area.
Functions undertaken by Specialist Facilitators include:
• Making use of specialist expertise and training in a particular access area in
order to facilitate a student’s access to learning using specialist skills and/or
equipment to represent the language of delivery into another more accessible
format
• Using specialist skills to enable students to navigate themselves
independently around the educational environment
Roles which might provide this support include:
• Communication Support Worker
• Electronic Notetaker
• Specialist Transcription Services
• Mobility Trainer
Communication Support Workers
Sometimes referred to as Communicator, Senior Communicator
Activity: To translate sign language into voice and vice versa although not at
the level of competence required by a trained British Sign Language (BSL)/
English Interpreter. To work flexibly with an individual deaf student in workshop
and seminar situations as well as providing general one to one support.
Skills required: Competent signing and experience of working with deaf
learners in an HE context; understanding of how deafness affects learning.
Qualifications/Training: BSL Level 3 or 4 (old qualification) 6
(new qualification) and, at more senior levels, either a qualification in
Deaf Studies, a teaching qualification or a Communication Support Worker
qualification.
15Electronic Notetakers
Activity: This is an activity undertaken by someone who has advanced skills
and a formal qualification in electronic notetaking. This support activity is
for deaf students but can be used to support other students according to
need. The notetaker will make a comprehensive although non-verbatim, live,
typed record of the content of lectures, seminars, discussions, off-campus
events etc. in the student’s preferred style and format. This may include the
information appearing simultaneously on the student’s computer using either
Speedtext or Stereotype specialist software. The laptop could also be linked
to Braille reading equipment. The notes can be sent to the student within a
specified time frame or will be saved by the student at the end of the session
if using the specialist software described above.
Skills required: Ability to touch-type to a minimum of 60wpm; excellent
spelling and punctuation skills; in depth knowledge and understanding of
notetaking for disabled students and the ability to take notes accurately and
comprehensively at speed; for some high level, specialist subjects some
subject knowledge might be required.
Qualifications/training: A standard of education to at least second year
degree level, the undertaking and completion of specialist electronic
notetaker training, for example those provided by Open College Network
London Region (OCNLR), Action on Hearing Loss, Stereotype or an
equivalent in-house training which includes the formal assessment and
evaluation of skills and suitability, the successful achievement of that
assessment and evaluation.
Equipment required: Electronic notetaking requires the provider to be the
laptop owner. Using a student’s laptop will negate their insurance and relies
on the student bringing a laptop with them which may be inappropriate and/
or unnecessary. Where software is used to enable the student to receive the
text live on a second laptop, the second laptop could belong either to the
student or the service provider.
Note: This activity is not to be confused with that of Specialist Transcription.
16Specialist Transcription Service
Activity: To transcribe lecture notes, seminar notes, oral dictation or
audio files into an alternative format accessible to the student.
Skills required: Familiarity with a range of specialist office packages
and equipment and knowledge of how to transcribe into various
alternative formats.
Qualifications/training: Relevant specialist IT training.
Mobility Trainer
Sometimes referred to as: Orientation Coach; Mobility Coach;
Rehabilitation Worker.
Activity: The Mobility Trainer provides a professional assessment of the
campus location and then carries out a time limited programme of training.
This training is particularly applicable for blind or visually impaired students
who will require an individually developed programme based on agreed
assessment of needs and who will need to learn with their coach safe routes
around the campus, either making use of a long cane or with a guide dog.
However, this kind of training may also be applicable to other students
whose disability means they have particular difficulty with orientation, for
example students who have significant difficulty with orientation because of
acquired brain damage.
Skills Required: A worker who has the requisite qualification and proven
experience in training blind or visually impaired people, or those who have
significant orientation difficulties because of other impairments, to find their
way independently and safely around a new environment.
Qualifications/training: In many cases HEIs will contract a coach from
Social Services or from a voluntary society for the blind. If a student already
has a guide dog then The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (GDBA) takes
responsibility for mobility training in a new environment.
Professional coaches for blind and visually impaired students are likely
to hold a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) in Rehabilitation Studies.
Coaches of those with other disabilities will need a thorough knowledge of
the disability, the way it affects a person’s orientation abilities and experience
in providing techniques for overcoming these difficulties.
17Band Four £50 - £65
Specialist Access and Learning Facilitators: These activities require
advanced specialist skills, training and/or qualifications concerning how
particular disabilities affect a student’s access to learning and how to
address these access issues.
Functions undertaken by Specialist Access and Learning Support Workers
include:
Making use of specialist skills and training in order to:
• Understand the particular barriers to learning experienced by individual
disabled students
• Work with the student in order to identify strategies to help address
these barriers
• Work with the student to continually monitor the effectiveness of these
strategies
• Work to enhance student’s autonomy within their learning context
• Interpret the language of delivery, giving real time access, into another
language accessible to the student
Roles which might provide this support include:
• Specialist Mentor
• Specialist One to One Study Skills Support
• BSL Interpreter
• Language Support Tutor for deaf students
• Assistive Technology Trainer
18Specialist Mentors
Sometimes referred to as: Specialist Advisers; Support and Guidance
Mentor; Mental Health Mentor; Mental-Health Adviser; Autistic Spectrum
Mentor; Aspergers Mentor.
Activity: Specialist mentors provide highly specialist, specifically tailored,
one to one support which helps students address the barriers to learning
created by a particular impairment, e.g. mental-health conditions, or autistic
spectrum disorders. This could include a range of issues, for example,
coping with anxiety and stress situations, how to deal with concentration
difficulties, time management, prioritising workload and creating a suitable
work-life balance. Specialist Mentors should not act as advocates or
counsellors. Their role is to help students recognise the barriers to learning
created by their impairment and support them in developing strategies to
address these barriers, particularly at times of transition, e.g. when starting
at university or when planning to move on from it. For some students this
support will need to be ongoing while for others it might be gradually phased
out or only be required at certain points of their course.
Skills Required: In depth knowledge and experience of the particular
disability (e.g. mental-health condition, autistic spectrum disorder);
understanding of the particular demands of study in HE; close working
relationship with other support service both inside and outside the HEI and
recognition of when there is a need to refer to other services.
Training/Qualifications: University degree or equivalent and also specialist
training (or equivalent in experience) in a particular disability area.
Specialist One to One Study Skills Support
Sometimes referred to as: Study Skills Support; Specialist Tutors; Dyslexic
Tutors; Specialist Tutors for Students with Learning Difficulties; One to
One Support Tutors; Study Coach; Learning Support Tutor; Students with
Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) Study Coach.
Activity: This one to one support addresses the issues which some students
might have in acquiring, recalling and retaining information in written and
spoken language as well as the range of memory, organisational, attention
and numeracy difficulties that students with specific learning difficulties
often face when working in an HE context. These difficulties may have
been identified already but they may only become evident when a student
faces the academic challenges of HE work. This support should aim to
develop students’ skills for autonomy in the learning environment.
It should be tailored to a student’s individual needs and professionals
delivering the support should set out clear goals and timescales for
achieving these goals.
19Some students will require ongoing support throughout their course; others
might require less support as the course continues; while some students
might need additional support as the demands of their course intensify.
While many students receiving this support will be dyslexic it needs to be
available to any students with specific learning difficulties including those on
the autistic spectrum. In these instances the support tutor will need to have
specific experience of working with students with these disabilities.
Skills Required: Substantial experience of working with students with
disabilities and/or specific learning difficulties on a one to one basis.
When working with students with specific learning difficulties an in depth
understanding of the effects of specific learning difficulties on language
and learning in a HE context, and, when working with students with other
disabilities, an in depth knowledge of how these disabilities affect particular
areas of learning. An awareness of the strengths which students with specific
learning difficulties can bring to a learning situation and the skills to help
students to make use of these strengths and overcome barriers to learning.
Qualifications/training: Degree and teaching qualification or, for those
working with students with Specific Learning Difficulties, a recognised
specialist Students with SpLD qualification (a list of Institutions which
currently provide specialist training is available on the Professional
Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities
(PATOSS) and British Dyslexia Association (BDA) websites). It would be
preferable if the tutor also held a Teaching Practice Certificate (e.g. from
PATOSS or BDA) and was regularly engaged in Continuous Professional
Development (such as that covered by the Association of Dyslexia
Specialists in Higher Education (ADSHE) Quality Assurance Framework). It is
acknowledged that there are a number of professionals who have extensive
experience in supporting students with Specific Learning Difficulties which
dates back prior to the introduction of specialist SpLD qualifications and that
they should be allowed to continue in their roles while the new qualifications
are phased in.
Some HEIs have combined the two activities above into an overarching
Study Coach role.
While the two kinds of support listed above are individual, one to one
support, there might be times when small groups of students find it
advantageous to work as a group and share strategies. However, this
should not be seen as a substitute for one to one support.
20British Sign Language Interpreters
Activity: BSL interpreters are interpreters for students who are deaf and
whose first or preferred language is BSL. The interpreter will attend lectures,
seminars and tutorials and will interpret from English to BSL or vice versa.
Interpreters will use their skills and knowledge of BSL and English and
their understanding of the differences between the two, in order to receive
information in one language and pass it on in another.
Skills Required: Interpreters should be trained and have experience of
working in a HE setting. They should also have some knowledge of the
academic area being followed by the student.
Qualifications/Training: Ideally all interpreters should hold a recognised
qualification in BSL/English interpreting and have undertaken a specific
interpreting course. This level is certainly necessary for post-graduate level
work e.g. Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Failing this they
should hold a BSL qualification (Old Qualification Level 4; New Qualification
Level 6).
Unlike many of the other non-medical help activities in the framework, BSL
Interpreters have a professional association, professional standards and
qualifications and a national register. The professional association is the
Association of Sign Language Interpreters. Signature offers a portfolio of
qualifications recognised by Ofqual. Qualified Interpreters may be registered
on the National Register of Communication Professionals working with Deaf
and Deaf Blind People (NRCPD).
Costs: The rates charged by BSL Interpreters vary considerably depending
on experience, employer and location. The National Careers service1
suggests that as a guide, freelance interpreters can earn between £20
and £30 an hour and full-time interpreters can earn between £20,000 and
£35,000 a year. Interpreters may also claim for expenses, unsocial hours,
preparation time and other reasonable costs. For meetings and events longer
than two hours at least two interpreters are necessary and this will affect the
overall cost claimed.
1 https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/britishsignlanguageinterpreter.aspx
21Where BSL interpreting services are outsourced, the provider’s terms and
conditions may stipulate a minimum number of hours, half or even full day
and may include travel and subsistence in the rate. As there is a shortage
of interpreters, HEIs may need to pay these rates, which will inevitably be
higher, to secure these services. Where interpreters are salaried staff, the pay
rates may be on Higher Education Role Analysis (HERA) salary scales and
the hourly rate is likely to fall below Band Four.
Language Support Tutor for deaf students
Activity: To provide one to one specialist English language enhancement
to deaf students – either those whose first language is BSL or those who
communicate orally.
Skills required: Significant experience of working in the area of language
support with deaf students; very good knowledge of both English and BSL;
understanding of the language difficulties faced by deaf students.
Qualifications/training: Minimum Level 3/NVQ 3 BSL. Teaching qualification
and also likely to have a specialist qualification for teachers of the deaf or
equivalent.
Assistive Technology Trainers
Sometimes referred to as IT Trainers; Educational Technical Support
Workers; Assistive Technology Coach; Assistive Technology Trainer.
Activity: This activity provides support over and above the practical
installation and facilitation support given to students on receiving a new
piece of software. Its purpose is to provide a substantial programme of
training for the student in how to use the range of assistive technology and
specialist software or hardware, in relation to their studies. Training is often
delivered in students’ own homes in sessions that may last up to two hours.
However, often it is more appropriate for flexibility in delivery with a greater
number of sessions with each session lasting only an hour or an hour and
a half, according to student need. Training may also need to be phased
throughout the course.
22Skills required: Assistive Technology (AT) trainers require knowledge
and skills in strategies to support learning and a broad understanding
about the range of existing products and technological solutions to
learning challenges. Knowledge and understanding of students’ learning
requirements is fundamental to this activity alongside an understanding
of how to address learning challenges. These challenges might include
organisational skills, planning and time management or concentration, or
gaining access through, for example, vision or hearing. Solutions include
assistive technology, software programmes such as mind mapping, text
to speech and speech to text, Microsoft Windows and Mac accessibility
options and features to support learning such as the use of Outlook for
organisational skills and digital recorders to aid memory. They require
significant experience of working in a training capacity with people with a
disability and an understanding of the kind of work required by a student at
higher education.
Qualifications and training: There are no specific qualifications for DSAs IT
training, although IT trainers should have a thorough knowledge of assistive
technologies.
Costs: There are significant differences between the AT training activity and
most other non-medical help activities in the framework and this has an
impact on the costs. This service is often outsourced and when delivered
offsite, for example in a student’s home, charges may include the costs of
travel and time to travel. Since much AT training is delivered in two hour
sessions, some providers will give a rate for a two hour session rather than
an hourly rate. Where hourly rates are given they can vary considerably.
For example, a one hour session + travel costs will be proportionately more
expensive than a two hour session + travel. Some AT providers specify
different rates for: one hour; two hour and three hour sessions.
When the activity is limited to the installation and facilitation of particular
technologies, then this is not classed as AT training and should not be
invoiced as such. The costs should be funded through the DSAs equipment
allocation rather than as a non-medical help activity.
23PART FOUR: SUMMARY OF COST BANDS
Band
Band one
Band Descriptor
Practical Assistance
Functions include
Providing practical support in the library, laboratory or workshop/ studio
Reading aloud
Scribing
Text checking
Activity Titles include
• Practical Support Assistant
• Library Support Assistant
• Reader
• Scribe
• Workshop/Laboratory Assistant
• Sighted Guide
Knowledge, skills and competences
This band includes activities which provide practical assistance for
students. Non-medical helpers providing this support will have the skills
and competence to work effectively, at the direction of the student, in their
own particular context.
Costs
£15-£25
24Band
Band two
Band Descriptor
Enhanced Assistance
Functions include
Supporting students to develop their independence and autonomy in
HE, for example by providing support with issues such as time keeping;
organisational skills etc. and can be supplemented by practical support
e.g. library support, workshop support etc.
Supporting a disabled student during examinations
Activity Titles include
• Study Assistant
• Examination Support Worker
• Manual Notetaking
Knowledge, skills and competences
These are activities which demand an enhanced level of skill, knowledge
and training to band one activities.
Costs
£20-£30
25Band
Band Three
Band Descriptor
Specialist Enabling Support
Functions include
Making use of specialist skills and training in a particular disability area in
order to facilitate a student’s access to learning
Using specialist skills and/or equipment to represent the language of
delivery into another more accessible format
Using specialist skills to enable students to navigate themselves
independently around the educational environment
Activity Titles include
• Communication Support Workers
• Specialist Transcription
• Mobility Trainer
• Electronic Notetaking
Knowledge, skills and competences
These are activities which demand specific expertise and specialist training
in a particular access area.
Costs
£35-£42
26Band
Band four
Band Descriptor
Specialist Access and Learning Support
Functions include
Apply highly specialist knowledge in working with the student to:
Understand the particular barriers to learning experienced by individual
disabled students
Identify strategies to help address these barriers
Continually monitor the effectiveness of these strategies
Enhance student’s autonomy within their learning context
Interpret the language of delivery, giving real time access, into another
language accessible to the student
Activity Titles include
Activities which might provide this support include:
• Specialist Mentors
• Specialist One to One Study Skills Support
• British Sign Language Interpreter
• Language Support Tutor for deaf students
• Assistive Technology Trainers
Knowledge, skills and competences
These are activities requiring advanced specialist skills, training and/
or qualifications concerning how particular disabilities affect a student’s
access to learning and how to address these access issues.
Costs
£50-£65
27/SF_England SFE/NMHM/D/A
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