Clarity is a form of care

Every case file represents a student at a difficult moment in their life. So, when the systems holding those cases are fragmented, the cost isn't only operational. It's human.

When Ian Stratton became Head of Student Casework and Insight at UWE Bristol in 2022, his team managed cases across whiteboard sticky notes, spreadsheets, Outlook threads and SharePoint lists. Volumes were rising, visibility was limited, and the team lacked confidence that it had oversight of the students in its care.

Having brought wellbeing, disability, community liaison and organised services onto Symplicity Advocate in 2022, UWE moved its core casework (complaints, appeals, fitness to study, conduct and professional suitability) into Advocate's Flex environment.

The return is measured in clarity. Evidence, communications and documentation sit in one place, and automated risk flags support timely safeguarding intervention. Consistent reporting gives leadership confidence. As Ian says: "I can tell the Vice Chancellor how many cases we have…The system doesn't make cases less complex or complaints less time-consuming, what it does is make managing the actual case itself so much easier."

Most powerfully, data has turned reaction into care in advance. Noticing a reliable rise in conduct cases in the fortnight after Halloween, the team now reaches out with wellbeing messaging beforehand.

UWE is exploring a brave question: by connecting case data to retention and continuation, could it reveal whether its processes create barriers for particular student groups?

Ian's advice for all of us: start with the outcomes you want, and don't wait for perfect.