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Wellbeing and Welfare

For urgent help, see Emergencies.

Wellbeing and Welfare team

The Wellbeing and Welfare team below are people in College to turn to for help and advice should you find yourself in trouble or in need of support. If you are unsure whom to ask, contact the Welfare Lead.

Matters discussed with members of the Wellbeing and Welfare team will be treated in line with this Student Health and Welfare: Guidance on Confidentiality. The email address welfare@​balliol.​ox.​ac.​uk is primarily managed by the Welfare Lead but may occasionally be monitored during normal office hours and in order to cover periods of annual leave by senior members of the Wellbeing and Welfare team (below). Please note that vacation support is on a different footing to the term-time services listed below.

'Mental Health First Aider MFHA England' plus the MHFA logo

As Welfare Lead, Hannah provides welfare support to all undergraduate and graduate students, and coordinates Balliol’s student wellbeing and welfare provision. She works full time during term time and is available by appointment. At Broad Street she is in Staircase XXII, Room 1; she also meets students at Jowett Walk, 4G2.

'Mental Health First Aider MFHA England' plus the MHFA logo

Chris is here to support undergraduates, postgraduates and Balliol staff members by providing support and health advice for minor injury and illness, travel health, contraception and sexual health, first aid and wound care. She can signpost to appropriate services and liaise closely with the College Doctor to facilitate speedy GP appointments, if needed, for both physical and mental health concerns.

Once you have registered with the College Doctor at 19 Beaumont Street, you can contact Chris by email or phone in duty hours — see times below — to arrange an appointment slot. Appointments can be in person, by telephone or on Teams.

  • Monday: 9.30am‑4.00pm at Broad Street (Staircase XXII, 1A/B)/Jowett Walk 4G2 option
  • Tuesday: 11.004.30pm: drop-in 12.303.30pm at at Broad Street (Staircase XXII, 1A/B). Just turn up. If there is no queue come straight in. If there is a queue, please have a seat in the waiting area outside the surgery room or come back later.
  • Wednesday: 9.30am‑1.30pm virtual or telephone (MS Teams)
  • Thursday: 9.00am‑2.30pm at Broad Street (Staircase XXII, 1A/B)
  • Friday: closed
  • Saturday: 10.00am‑1.00pm (Welfare & Wellbeing) at Broad Street (Staircase XXII, 1A/B). Chris cannot treat new health issues during this time but can arrange future appointments.
  • Sunday: closed

If Chris is not available (she works part-time and may not be on duty), students should contact the College Doctor at 19 Beaumont Surgery, telephone 01865 240501: please use this link: 19 Beaumont Street Surgery.

Steph provides a confidential space in which to listen to students’ emotional concerns and issues. She is a registered counselling psychologist with over ten years’ experience, working with people from diverse backgrounds with a range of mental health and emotional difficulties. On days when she is not working at Balliol, she works at the University Counselling Service. Steph is available at Balliol by appointment on Wednesdays, 9.005.00pm, from 0th–9th week.

'Mental Health First Aider MFHA England' plus the MHFA logo

Fiona is available during term time and vacations to support students with welfare matters and concerns relating to hardship and disability. She can be approached for help in accessing University welfare, disability, and support services, and with queries relating to arrangements for College accommodation and exam adjustments owing to disability or illness. She is also available to discuss any financial aid students might need due to unexpected hardship, concerns about unforeseen demands on funding or support for health and welfare concerns – see also Financial Support.

Junior Deans

The Junior Deans support the welfare and decanal systems of the College across the three accommodation sites, working together under the guidance of the Welfare Lead and other College Officers. All Junior Deans receive welfare training at the University prior to starting their roles. Working together but in either undergraduate- or graduate-facing roles, they are available to offer a caring and listening ear or word of encouragement, and their primary welfare role is in signposting students to the appropriate professional support. They are on duty, on site, between 7.00pm and 8.00am and work with the Lodge to help with emergencies. They are:

Junior Deans — for undergraduates

Junior Deans — for graduates

Please check the Master’s Field/Holywell Manor Junior Dean rota to see who is on duty.

Women’s Officer

The Women’s Officer [to be confirmed] is available to talk to anyone who wholly or partially identifies as a woman, about problems or concerns, particularly those relating to issues such as gender representation, discrimination, harassment, safety, and sexual health.

Harassment Advisors

The Harassment Advisors can be contacted for confidential advice on matters relating to harassment:

For more information, see also the harassment page.

Personal Tutors and College Advisers

Personal Tutors (undergraduates) and College Adviser (graduates) are available to students for pastoral support. The names of individual Personal Tutors and College Advisers are in the College List (available from the beginning of term).

Peer supporter

Cherie Wong is a student volunteer who provides a Coffee & Chat service exclusively for Balliol’s student community. This includes a free drink in a local café, where students can chat to Cherie on a 1:1 basis about any issues. She will provide advice and signpost you to people and resources that can help. Cherie is peer-support trained — in case you need that extra bit of care. To book, just email Cherie at peer.​support@​balliol.​ox.​ac.​uk and say you want to have a chat.

Wellbeing and Welfare at Balliol

Balliol is a diverse community including students from many different social, economic, and cultural backgrounds. It is committed to promoting equality and avoiding discrimination; to maintaining a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all members of the community are respected; and to ensuring students’ fitness to study while they are at Balliol, helping them to towards a successful university experience.

The Welfare and Wellbeing team above can advise students or direct them to appropriate sources of support about issues that may be affecting their wellbeing, including:

  • Health concerns, minor ailments, and injuries
  • Anxiety, stress, panic attacks, low mood, sleep disturbance, the effects of bereavement, or mental health concerns
  • Difficulties arising from drug or alcohol use, or from eating disorders
  • Issues relating to gender identity, those specific to being a woman or coming from a minority ethnic or LGBTQ+ group
  • Challenges from estrangement from parents, care experience or being a student parent
  • Dealing with the effects of sexual abuse, assault, or violence.

Balliol follows A Common Approach to Support Student Mental Health, issued by Oxford’s Joint Student Mental Health Committee.

Vacation support

While some people and resources described on this page and elsewhere in this section (see the menu below) may continue to be available during the vacation, students remaining in Oxford in vacation periods should be aware that College staff will take leave or be otherwise unavailable outside of term.

During the Christmas break the welfare@​balliol.​ox.​ac.​uk email will not be monitored between Wednesday 20 December 2023 and Monday 2 January 2024.

The University’s Vacation Welfare Support page provides a number of emergency resources.

Vacation Support for Graduates provides information for the Graduate Centre.

The Oxford Vacation Guide provides information for those staying in Oxford during vacations.