Table of Contents
1. How do I request a caseworker?
2. Who will my caseworker be?
3. How long will it take to be allocated a caseworker?
4. I have an important meeting coming up.
5. I’m very upset and need someone to talk to.
-24/7 support provided by UCU
6. I don’t know what my rights are under BUL policy and procedure.
-BUL policies and procedures
-Non BUL policies and procedures
7. Can my caseworker give me legal advice?
8. Will my caseworker keep information confidential?
9. What do your caseworkers need in order to help you?
-Example of a clear timeline you could prepare for your caseworker
1. How do I request a caseworker?
To request a caseworker, you need to contact the branch administrator (cmaxfield@ucu.org.uk) who will ask you to fill out a casework pro forma and return with relevant paperwork.
2. Who will my caseworker be?
Your caseworker will be a UCU member of BUL staff who has volunteered to undertake training in casework in order to support members. Your caseworker is able to support you with information on how to utilise local BUL policies and will support you in navigating meetings and correspondence with HR and management. Most of the time, your caseworker is volunteering their time to support you, around their existing job.
3. How long will it take to be allocated a caseworker?
The branch handles a high volume of sensitive casework and endeavours to allocate casework as quickly as possible. Our caseworkers can sometimes have a heavy caseload, but volunteer their time when they are able to. We also try to offer informal discussions for those waiting for a caseworker, with focussed signposting and initial advice.
4. I have an important meeting coming up
Most formal meetings allow staff to have a UCU Representative (caseworker) accompany them. A formal meeting is one that has been called for in writing where you are given the right to have a union representative present. A HR representative will also be present. Examples of formal meetings include: disciplinary, grievance, capability, or bullying and harassment hearings.
For formal meetings where you have a right to a UCU Representative (caseworker) to be present to support you, if there is a risk that you may not be allocated a caseworker in time for a currently scheduled meeting, then we recommend that you contact HR and let them know. You can say that you are seeking a caseworker for the date offered, however you may need to reschedule if your caseworker is unable to attend the given date and you will be in touch with them shortly to confirm.
Informal meetings are ones scheduled with your line manager or other management staff in your unit or faculty, whereby you have no formal right for a union rep to be present. Your line manager may grant permission for a rep to be present, depending on circumstances. You might still request that the timing of such a meeting allows for you to receive advice from the union beforehand, however this is not a right.
5. I’m very upset and need someone to talk to
Your branch is working hard to allocate you a caseworker with the skillset to respond to your case. If you have an urgent mental or physical health issue in the meantime, please contact your GP or emergency health services and follow their advice.
It may also be helpful for you to know that free confidential support and information, including emotional support and counselling, is available to you 24hrs per day, 7 days per week from a partner of UCU.
24/7 support provided via UCU:
Education support partnership
Education Support Partnership understand the unique pressures that working in FE and HE puts on people. That’s why they provide independent, confidential 24/7 support, to help people deal with stress and anxiety, bullying, career and money worries, and a range of other issues. Contact Number: 0800 056 2561 (helpline) / 07909 341229 (text)
6. I don’t know what my rights are under BUL policy and procedure
It is essential to access the correct policy and procedure and fully read it through to understand all of your rights contained (your rights under BUL policy and procedure can be of a higher standard than employment law requires). The majority of casework received by the branch references BUL policy and procedures.
Your caseworker can help investigate and advise you on the BUL policies and procedures that are relevant to your case when you meet or speak with them. In the meantime, you can find information on the BUL HR policies and procedures directly via this link: Policies and documents | Brunel University of London
We also strongly recommend that members read the relevant ACAS page, ACAS provides best practice for employers and employees: Acas | Making working life better for everyone in Britain
7. Can my caseworker give me legal advice?
Your caseworker cannot offer you legal advice, however they are able to draw on UCU support and training on the legal framework for employment rights. The vast majority of cases that the branch deal with do not require legal support. However, your caseworker is trained to spot where legal factors may be at play in the information you provide and will discuss branch referral mechanisms with you and request that your case be considered for formal UCU legal support if necessary. Please note that access to the UCU legal scheme is not decided at branch level, and eligibility is dependant on many factors, meaning that access is the exception rather than the norm (please see section 2.4 for the criteria and section 3 regarding eligibility: https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/5929/UCU-Legal-Scheme-Regulations-April-2021/pdf/ucu_legal-scheme_april2021.pdf)
Where legal factors apply, then by law there is usually a deadline of three months minus one day, to lodge a claim with the courts. Usually, the court require early-conciliation efforts prior to tribunal. Your caseworker can give you more details on this, however please note that legally, the responsibility is yours for lodging a claim within the three months minus one day deadline: What early conciliation is – Early conciliation – Acas
You can find more information on UCU legal scheme online here: https://www.ucu.org.uk/legal
This includes help for: employment rights, police enquiries, personal injury, immigration employment advice
8. Will my caseworker keep information confidential?
Yes, the casework route is confidential. This means that your caseworker will not discuss your case with HR, your line manager or your colleagues, without your consent. Casework almost always involves handling sensitive material and information – that is to say, material and information about a member who has a legitimate expectation that the information given is treated as strictly confidential. Caseworkers may consult internally on points of procedure as a check (for example, with other caseworkers and/or with regional office), but this is done on an anonymised basis.
9. What do your caseworkers need in order to help you?
In order to provide you with good advice quickly, your caseworker will likely request a timeline and key documentation from you. Events that took place within the last three months are of particular importance, however you may wish to go back further to provide context.
Key documents that are likely to be important include: copies of any formal letters received by you from management, occupational health reports, written accounts of any complaint against you, evidence of events you are complaining about, most recent PDR (annual review) and information on any equality factors.
It may be necessary to provide more detailed written information and email evidence to your caseworker at a later stage, but at the outset, your caseworker will be able to support you best if you are able to identify just key events and documents on a timeline. Ideally, attach all timeline and documentation to a single email and return with your completed casework pro forma.
Example of a clear timeline you could prepare for your caseworker:
