Staff training: Student Roost

Student Roost is a major national provider of student accommodation, with accommodation in over 20 cities and towns throughout the UK.

When faced with a distressed student, a colleague in any student-facing role can feel overwhelmed and it can be too easy for them to take on too much. The residential and 24/7 nature of student accommodation management can make it even more likely that staff will encounter distressed students, including students at very high levels of risk.

We worked with Student Roost to deliver face-to-face training events for staff from all of their locations.

The learning objectives for participants at our one-day training events, held in Birmingham, Glasgow and Sheffield, were to:

1. Understand the role of student accommodation providers in relation to student mental health and briefly discuss some of the common mental health conditions students present with.

2. Know how to respond confidently to student distress, including understanding practical ways to maintain the boundaries of our roles.

3. Take away important tips for when we’re aware of a resident who is presenting a high level of risk .

4. Be introduced to some practical ways to look after our own wellbeing.

We designed training materials to fit with Student Roost's own branding, and recorded bespoke audio case studies to reflect staff-student interactions in an accommodation context.