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General Info
Whereas
the University's Money and Welfare Advice Service (MWA) deals
mainly with student financial and debt problems, MUSU Welfare
Support (WS) and SWIRL (Student Welfare and International
Resouces Lounge) aims to provide a comprehensive "one-stop"
service throughout the University. This tends to centre on
Hendon where both the Welfare & International Students
Sabbatical, SWIRL and the SWIRL Administrator and the Welfare
Support Worker are based but it also takes referrals (including
self-referrals) from all other campuses by phone, email and
appointment. Otherwise it provides a dedicated drop-in service.
As well as advice the service provides assistance by way of
representation where necessary (e.g. student misconduct appeals).
Problem areas regularly assisted include: Child care; Consumer
problems; Council Tax; Disability and Health issues; Employment;
University Fees and other debt problems; Financial hardship;
Housing; Immigration; General Legal Problems (e.g. matrimonial,
racism etc); Student Loans & Bursaries; Welfare Benefits;
Work Placements.
Liaison
with Middlesex University Student Advice Services:
The
WS service has a close and amicable liaison with MWA and other
student advice/support services within the University (including
counselling) with sign posting and referrals taking place
as and when necessary. WS provides a function of seeking to
ensure maximum take-up of support services (including "hardship"
funding) as well as unofficial general quality control monitoring
over the full range of the student "experience"
- admissions, academic, accommodation, financial support,
etc. Of course this is always done in a supportive and entirely
non-judgemental way.
Liaison
with Outside Organisations:
We
also contact a large range of other bodies on behalf of students
- including NHS Grants Unit, LEA's, DfES, Council Tax departments
(and bailiffs/debt collectors), Department for Work &
Pensions (particularly for National Insurance queries), etc.
Contact
The department is run by the Welfare & International Students
Sabbatical, Sukhwinder Singh, who is supported by a part-time
Welfare Support Worker, Barry (Baz) Druker and the SWIRL Administrator,
Jenna Solieri. Sukhwinder can be contacted by telephoning
020 8411 6450 or by emailing s.singh@mdx.ac.uk;
Baz can be contacted by telephoning 020 8411 6450 or by
emailing b.druker@mdx.ac.uk;
and SWIRL can be contacted by telephoning 020 8411 4292 or
by emailing j.solieri@mdx.ac.uk
SWIRL is open Monday - Friday from 9:30am - 4:00pm and can
be located on the ground floor of the MUSU building at Hendon.
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