Information for Supporters, Parents, Carers and Guardians

Information for those wishing to help a student access relevant support at the University.

Support arrangements do not happen automatically

The best thing you can do is to encourage the student to make contact with our Service as soon as possible.  It can be helpful to discuss any issues or concerns before applying to study at the University.  Otherwise, the student should be encouraged to speak to someone in the Service as near to the start of the semester as possible.

Students can contact us for support at any point during their studies.

The transition from school

Previously, you may have worked closely with the school to ensure the appropriate support was put in place for your student.  We understanding that you may have struggled to have the needs of your student recognised by the school, and the student receive adequate support. 

However, the transition from school to university means that most students are regarded as being in charge of their own support.  This means we cannot respond directly to parents, carers, and guardians.  We can only work directly with the student until we have explicit and direct permission from the student to discuss their case and support with you. 

Students are provided an opportunity to provide consent to us at the point of registration, and can update this consent at any time during their studies.  We will mostly talk to the student and contact them directly, unless there is a specific area that your student requires your support with. 

The transition to university is a big step for all students, and there is a lot of new information, processes and systems to get used to.  It can be difficult to find out what needs to be done and when it needs to be completed by. 

We encourage you to explore this website with their students and encourage them to get started on our registration process. 


We are very happy to answer questions at any time. 

We are bound by General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and must respect a students’ confidentially. We cannot speak about specifics to do with your student unless we have explicit permission from them to do so. Even with the permission from the student, the information we provide will be at the discretion of the Service. For more information see our Privacy Notice.

We can offer general advice regarding registration processes, documentation requirements, Disabled Students’ Allowance applications etc. We can also assist you in directing your queries if they are more suited for another service at the University. Do not hesitate to Contact Us.


Supporters are welcome to accompany their student to an appointment and, with the student’s permission, may attend the first 10-15 minutes of the appointment. However, it is generally recommended that students attend appointments independently unless there are exceptional circumstances precluding the student from doing so.

We ask that student’s let us know ahead of the appointment time that they would like a supporter to attend with them, so we know to expect you. 


If you consider them to be seriously unwell, tell them to contact their GP in the first instance. 

If you are worried that your student is not coping well at university, or with their studies, there are a number of services within the University who can assist. 

You can encourage them to speak to us and to contact their Student Adviser/Supervisor within their School. 


If you feel a student’s life is in imminent danger, or need emergency assistance, you should call 999 or encourage the student to go to A&E at the nearest hospital. 

If you need to inform us of an emergency situation relating to a student all Security on 0131 650 2257 and they will direct you to the appropriate support.  NB: This service is not designed or intended to replace the role of the emergency services, GPs or other local NHS provisions.


Moving from school or college to university can be a big step, especially if you’ve had support or adjustments in the past for things like Special Educational Needs (SEN) or a disability. One of the tricky parts is that universities often use different words to talk about support, and the process can feel confusing.

This short guide, written by Harriet Cannon with help from members of the National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP), is here to help. It explains what’s different at university, clears up some of the confusing terms, and shows you how to get the support you need.

School vs University - A Glossary and Explainer (opens PDF in a new window)


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