Information for Trusted Contacts

When a student enrols at York St John, they can choose to nominate someone as a Trusted Contact for us to reach out to if there are concerns about their wellbeing.

A Trusted Contact does not have to be a parent or carer. Students can also nominate a friend or another person of their choosing to be their Trusted Contact.

As a provider of adult education, maintaining student autonomy is vital.  We begin from the principle that students have the right to make decisions for themselves. This may mean students choose not to share information with their family and loved ones.

On this page, you can find more information about when we may contact you as a Trusted Contact, what information can be shared, and how we prioritise both student autonomy and their safety.

When you will be contacted

We will only reach out to a Trusted Contact where a student is thought to be at immediate risk of harm.

In all instances, we will aim to gain the consent of the student to contact the Trusted Contact. However, where this is not possible, we will reach out to the Trusted Contact without the consent of the student, but only in exceptional circumstances.

What information will be shared with you

We will endeavour to respect student confidentiality and to remain complaint with Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR and Human Rights Legislation. Information shared with a Trusted Contact will be provided on a need-to-know basis.  

Respecting the confidentiality and privacy of the student remains a priority, therefore only information necessary to manage risks and ensure the immediate safety of the student will be shared with the Trusted Contact.  

If a Trusted Contact reaches out to us to share concerns about a student, we will be able to listen to those concerns, however in order to maintain confidentiality we will be unable to share information about the student with you.