We recognise our students as independent adults. This means we need their consent to talk to anyone outside the University about them, including parents and supporters. 

However, if you have concerns about a student and are unable to contact them, we may be able to help. 

Before requesting support 

Before requesting support from the University, try: 

• contacting them in different ways, for example, via email, text and phone 
• explaining why you are worried and would like them to contact you 
• contacting one of their friends. 

How we can help 

Complete our request wellbeing support form and we will investigate your concerns. 

This could mean visiting the student if they are living in University accommodation and asking them to contact you. However, we will not be able to tell you when a student receives the message. 

If the student does not live in University accommodation, we may do a digital welfare check by checking their UCard status and attendance at lectures.  

Request wellbeing support

If you need assistance completing this form, contacting our Wellbeing Access team on: 

• wellbeing-access@bristol.ac.uk 
• +44 (0)117 456 9860. 

What we cannot do 

Due to confidentiality, we cannot: 

• confirm if someone is a student at the University or if they live in University accommodation 
• manage the relationship between a student and their parent or supporter
• guarantee that you will receive a response from the student 
• talk about any support our students are receiving 
• give any information on a student’s academic progress. 

Read our confidentiality statement. 

Emergency contacts 

All students provide the details of an emergency contact when they register for their programme of study. 

We will only use emergency contacts where there is a serious concern about a student’s welfare.

Find out more about emergency contacts and how they are used.