Casework charter

This charter underlines the principles and ethics that caseworkers at the University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association follow. These include common ethics and practices held by all student support services at the University, and adherence to the Privacy Act (Victoria).

The charter takes effect from December 2002 and will be reviewed annually by the Advocacy and Research Co-ordinator.

Definitions
Principles


download a word version or pdf version of this document

Definitions

Casework is information, advice, advocacy or referral given to an individual student on request, relating to issues arising from their prospective, current or past studies at the University of Melbourne.

This charter covers the activities of staff employed at UMPA to deliver casework, and student representatives when approached by students for this particular purpose.

Student advisory staff are trained professionals employed by UMPA to perform casework on a regular basis. This is usually part of their job description. They also maintain case records and advise student representatives.

Office bearers are elected postgraduate students who are paid an honorarium to fulfil their role. They do not have the same level of experience or expertise on casework issues as staff. However they have access to a range of University committees and are able to lobby on broader systemic student issues within the University. There is an office bearer—caseworker protocol that governs office bearer involvement in casework.

Members of the University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association include enrolled postgraduate students at the University of Melbourne, the Victorian College of the Arts and the Melbourne Business School.



Principles

A. Casework consultations

  1. Any member of the University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association may consult with a caseworker about issues arising from their prospective, current or past studies at the University of Melbourne.
  2. Consultations can take place face-to-face, on the telephone or via email.
  3. Casework consultations with students are confidential (see B. Confidentiality) and will be held in private settings unless the student and caseworker agree otherwise.
  4. Caseworkers will listen and clarify what the student would like assistance with. Caseworkers will be non-judgemental.
  5. Caseworkers will provide information and options as to what the student can do in his/her circumstances. This can include seeking out information and support from other services including external to the University. Caseworkers will provide information to the best of their knowledge with the resources available.
  6. Caseworkers do not provide legal advice and will refer students to the Student Union Legal Service if asked for such advice.
  7. UMPA believes in the principle of student empowerment and staff will usually assist students to advocate on their own behalf. However, in some circumstances caseworkers can advocate on a student's individual behalf, with the student's permission and preferably with the student present. This can include the caseworker contacting University staff to discuss the student's issues with the student's permission.
  8. Caseworkers can also accompany students as a support person to meetings in certain circumstances.
  9. When appropriate and to the limits of the Adviser's expertise/experience, caseworkers can offer ongoing support. Caseworkers will refer appropriately to University services and other avenues to the best of their ability.


B. Confidentiality

Student case information is treated as confidential and will only be disclosed to third parties with student permission. However, there are the following exceptions:


  1. Confidentiality will be broken if the caseworker assesses that a student is at serious risk of harming him/herself or a danger to others. In these circumstances the caseworker will follow the University of Melbourne Critical Incident Policy and contact either the Director of the University Counselling Service for further advice or Security as is appropriate.
  2. Occasionally, anonymous examples of student issues will be constructed from case information to be used for training and lobbying purposes. This will not contain any information that could identify students or their departments.
  3. If a caseworker is absent and a student needs to see another caseworker, then this caseworker may look at a student's file for information purposes.
  4. If a student makes a complaint about the way a case was handled, with the student's permission, case notes may be examined by the Advocacy and Research Co-ordinator or General Manager as part of the complaint handling process.


C. Data collection

Caseworkers will keep appropriate notes which will include a brief summary of the student's issues, and the information and advice given by the caseworker to the student. It also may include what actions the student or the caseworker may take after the consultation.

These notes will be kept in a secure locked office environment on UMPA premises. They can only be accessed by UMPA caseworkers except under the circumstances described in section B. An individual student may request to see the notes on their case or obtain a copy of their case record if they wish.

Notes taken by caseworkers will be destroyed after seven years has elapsed since the last known UMPA contact with the individual student.

Descriptive data on every student will be entered on the Council of Australian Postgraduate Association National Casework Database, which will have no details that can identify individual student cases. This descriptive data will be used for campaigning and strategic planning purposes within UMPA and Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA).



D. Complaints handling

If a caseworker is subject to a complaint from a student regarding a casework consultation, the complaint is to be handled by the Advocacy and Research Co-ordinator in the first instance. If it is a sexual harassment or discrimination complaint then the UMPA contact officer can handle the complaint (see the page on Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Policy on the UMPA Policies Page). If neither of these contacts are appropriate the complaint can be directed to the General Manager or the President of UMPA (see appendix for UMPA policy on internal complaints).



E. Liasion with student representatives/UMPA office bearers

When appropriate, a caseworker may liaise with office bearers or student representatives to assist with a particular student case. This would occur with the student's permission and typically will be in circumstances where broader lobbying would assist with the student's case. Office bearers and student representatives sit on committees where decisions are made and caseworkers may ask them to bring up certain issues in these forums.

Office bearers and student representatives may also be approached by students to do casework. It is up to the individual representative to decide if they are the best person to assist the student and they can refer students to caseworkers if need be. (see Office Bearer Protocol on the UMPA Policies page).



F. Conflict of interest

If a caseworker has a conflict of interest in dealing with an individual student case they should refer the student to another caseworker. This can include the following circumstances:

  • The student may have a pre-existing personal relationship with the caseworker.
  • The caseworker may have been contacted by another party that is connected with the case (for instance, another student or a University staff member).



Sorry, no articles were found.