Please read in conjunction with Notes for Job Applicants for further general information on St. Clare's.
Duties and Responsibilities of Relief Warden
General
1. The Relief Warden of a residential house at St. Clare's stands in loco parentis, and is responsible for:
- the welfare of the students in his or her care
- upholding St. Clare's standards of conduct and behaviour
- encouraging an atmosphere of consideration and international understanding
- ensuring the fabric of the building is maintained
- upholding the good name of St. Clare's
2. It is important for a Relief Warden to support colleagues in other houses and in the classroom, liaising with the Personal Tutors, Dean of Students, Assistant Principal and the Principal as necessary.
3. The relationship of a Relief Warden with the students should be modelled on that of a responsible parent with sons or daughters of the same age living at home. There may be differences of style between one Warden/Relief Warden and another, but all Wardens/Relief Wardens are expected to follow the procedures below and College policies as advised by the Assistant Principal from time to time, bearing in mind that common sense should prevail since all eventualities cannot be itemised.
Reporting Relationships
4. A Relief Warden reports overall to the Assistant Principal, particularly in the area of pastoral care and welfare of students. On day-to-day matters contact is more likely to be with the permanent warden of the house he/she is covering. From time to time it may be necessary to contact other people as follows:
- on the care of the house and contents - the Estates Manager
- on contractual terms and conditions of service - the Bursar
- on house security - the Central Facilities Manager
- arrangements for relief and holiday cover - the Assistant Principal
- changes in student accommodation - the Student Services Officer
- on medical issues relating to students - the College Nurse
- disciplinary and welfare matters - the Dean of Students
Other details are given below.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
5. A Relief Warden is required to be available to students in the houses he/she wardens at suitable times as specified in the "Regulations for Relief Wardens".
6. A Relief Warden is responsible for:
a) Discipline and communication
- upholding the College Regulations as notified, in the houses he/she wardens, and promptly reporting student misbehaviour to the permanent Warden / House Manager, Dean of Students or Assistant Principal, as appropriate
- personally checking that students are in the house by curfew and following extensions to curfew, in line with agreed policy
- for maintaining an atmosphere conducive to study in the house
- for submitting reports on individual students or groups of students as required by the College and specified by the Assistant Principal and/or the Dean of Students
- attendance at Wardens' meetings at times notified by the Assistant Principal
b) Pastoral Care and Welfare
- for paying individual attention to the progress and needs and also the difficulties of the students in his or her care and offering help and advice as appropriate and where necessary for communicating with colleagues as appropriate
- for taking appropriate action when a student is sick. Initially, the student should be referred to the College Nurse. Outside her hours, or if the student needs to see a doctor urgently, an appointment should be made with a GP - the Student Services Officer can help in this regard - and should be recorded, eg. in the Relief Warden's weekly report
- for reporting any emergencies to the Senior Warden on duty and/or the Assistant Principal, who will call the police if necessary. Should a student need to visit hospital outside College opening hours then the Relief Warden, or Senior Warden, should accompany the student and remain with the student as appropriate to his or her age and the seriousness of his or her illness or injuries
- in the event of an emergency involving an immediate or on-going risk to persons or property the Relief Warden may call the emergency services as appropriate
- acting in loco parentis it is desirable that the Relief Warden will support and encourage the students in the houses he/she wardens in their College activities, both academic and non-academic, eg. attendance at concerts, plays, orientation events and other events as suggested from time to time by the Assistant Principal
c) Domestic
- for the care of the College house and contents, reporting maintenance requirements, damage etc. to the permanent Warden / House Manager
- for instructing the students to keep their own rooms in order, make beds, keep the common room tidy etc.
- for encouraging students to take care of College property and to be economical in the use of electricity, fuel and water
d) Health and Safety
- for complying with all health and safety regulations as notified
by the Central Facilities Manager, and in particular (in consultation
with the permanent Warden / House Manager) ensuring that:
- fire exits are kept free at all times;
- fire drills are carried out at least once each term including one within the first three days of term;
- fire drills are carried out within the first two days of each vacation course;
- no unauthorised electrical appliances are used by students or the Relief Warden;
- students do not cook in bedrooms or bathrooms;
- for reporting any security concerns, eg. window restrictors removed, overloaded sockets, broken locks etc. to the permanent Warden / House Manager.
e) Other
- a Relief Warden is required to assist other Wardens / House Managers, eg. covering a house if a Warden has gone to hospital with a student, and to co-operate fully with the Senior Wardens so as to ensure appropriate pastoral care for students and support for colleagues
- attendance at professional development sessions organised by St Clare's for up to 10 hours per year
- any other duties reasonably assigned by the Principal or Assistant Principal.
7. A Relief Warden is required to comply with conditions and arrangements as detailed in Section 5 of the Agreement for Service Occupancy.
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