Catch 22 - mitigating circumstances

[FlorenceandtheWashingMachine]

Hello.

I found out this weekend that my DD has failed a placement on her degree course and may have to leave. She passed the practical element but didn't submit the necessary paperwork. She was then given extra time to submit the paperwork but didn't. She is perfectly capable of doing the work but says that she felt paralysed.

She kept all of this to herself until now. Talking to her it seems highly likely that she has been suffering from anxiety and/or depression. She can appeal but because she didn't declare her issues at the time she got her extension that seems unlikely to succeed. She did call the Lifeline support team. However, she felt unable to see a GP or tell her tutor how terrible she felt.

She has a learning disability, which I suspect has fed into this. She is going to see the student union this week (I hope) and her GP.

Does anyone have any advice or experience of this, please? She is very committed to her course and very much wants to stay. I am very worried for her.

Hi, @FlorenceandtheWashingMachine -

My thoughts are based in my years of experience on Mitigating Circumstances panels at one (Russell Group) university. Each uni will have its own way of doing things

It is great that your DD is seeing her GP now. It sounds like something is really wrong: depression or anxiety or some aspect of the learning disability kicking in. It is important that she gives the GP a full picture of how she has been feeling and, up to her comfort level, agrees to begin treatment asap. The reason is that she will need a supporting letter from the GP. Based on your comments it sounds like she is facing an uphill battle, so I think it will help if she can authorise the GP to discuss her diagnosis and how it has been affecting her, rather than just confirm that she has been seen in surgery. If the GP can confirm she has begun treatment (eg medication) so much the better.

Is your DD registered with the DSA or similar on campus? A representative used to attend our meetings. They could and often did advocate for their students around Mit Circs to do with the registered disability. Again, registering shows a willingness to deal with her problems that might yet be appreciated…..

Does your DD have good rapport with her personal tutor? Sometimes they can advocate; it really depends on the local culture.

This is a tough one because yeah, it might be too late. But it seems to me to be worth a try. Best wishes to you both

Thank you so much for your reply @poetryandwine. She is not registered with the DSA as far as I know (I did encourage her to do it but I don't think she did). She is going to see them this week.

She does have a good rapport with her personal tutor, so fingers crossed there!

It's crucial that her letter from the GP explains that depression can make it very hard for someone to take appropriate action when they're in the thick of it. I know that's obvious but any appeals panel needs to have that info to explain why in her case she didn't act sooner. Good luck, I hope she can repeat the work.

I'm a lecturer on a programme with placement. Appeal. The students who do all seem to win. It seems she has grounds.

Thank you, mycat. It is such a tricky one.

Thank you, camperqueen. She is definitely going to.

Hi again, OP -

Great that your DD gets along with her PT. If she can manage a short, professional meeting to update them on the steps she has taken to improve her situation, and especially if she will share any formal MH and LD diagnoses in confidence that could help although it is strictly optional. The reason is that at some unis, such as mine, we are frequently consulted about our tutees in case of a borderline appeal. (Per your first post, I can’t say that this is a borderline appeal but I am glad she is giving it her best shot.). This is the stage where the PT can advocate

Thank you @poetryandwine. That's very useful. I'll pass that on to her.

Hello again, Flora -

I actually meant to refer to something like the DSO - an Office for Students with Disabilities. This is a student version of Occupational Health, staffed by professionals. They are the ones who attend MC meetings as I mentioned above. I apologise for the confusion.

Of course the DS Allowance could also be appropriate and useful for your DD.

Has she been given a chance to submit the work over the summer as a second attempt? (Ie a referral), at this point in the year unless a board has already signed off the fail mark an appeal probably would not be appropriate as usually appeals can only be entered for a board decision rather than a mark.

If she has been given a summer referral then she needs to get all the support she needs together and ensure that she gets the work done to a good standard for this second attempt. The second attempt won't might be capped at the pass mark however, although some universities are no longer capping work.

She should apply for DSA this will if assessed as needed give her extra money to buy support, however, if she is final year it may be too late.