The Welfare Officers are two members of the LGBTQ+ Society Committee who are available to provide support to all members. They can be contacted through email at welfare.lgbt@soton.ac.uk , through private message, or in person.
The role of the Welfare Officer is to create a confidential, non-judgemental space for you to talk about what is bothering you, and to signpost you to local and university services that might be helpful.
The Welfare Officers are bound by confidentiality, which means nobody will know you have talked to them or what you talked about unless you want to share that information. The exception is if it seems like you or someone else is at risk, they will alert someone appropriate, such as the President or a university service depending on the situation, but you will be informed about this and whoever is told will also be bound by the same rules of confidentiality.
If you are close with one of the Welfare Officers and are experiencing personal issues, you may prefer to talk to the other Welfare Officer, which is very normal and understandable. Welfare Officers only share information about active cases with each other with the permission of the person involved.
Welfare Officers are not able to handle complaints about University Staff members or other students outside of the society, though they can provide support in raising the complaint through the appropriate channels.
Welfare Officers are not counsellors or therapists and can’t provide that kind of specialised support, but they can signpost you to where you may be able to access it.
A brief summary of support available from the Welfare Officers:
Confidentially listening to you without judgement
Signposting to services if wanted
Dealing with formal complaints about society members in a society context (see the Complaints Procedure document)
Raising concerns with the committee about aspects of the society or events on your behalf, anonymously if wished
Helping you settle into the society
Helping you find educational resources
If you are ever unsure if what is troubling you is something to raise with the Welfare Officers, it is always worth asking. They might not be able to provide the support for your issue themselves, but can help you find where to access that support instead.