LSE’s team of Departmental Senior Student Advisers (DSSAs) continues to strengthen support for students and staff across the School as it continues to expand and launches a Community of Practice (CoP).
Now approaching the end of its second academic year, DSSAs provide a dedicated point of contact within departments, offering professional, pastoral advice and helping students navigate the range of support available at LSE.
They work alongside academic and professional services colleagues to ensure students can access the right help for personal, practical and study‑related challenges, and to support their overall engagement and wellbeing.
Growing reach and engagement
The service has expanded this year, with two additional departments joining the scheme, bringing the total to 8 advisers working across 16 departments.
Demand for the service remains high:
- Over 1,200 students made contact during the academic year
- Around 1,000 students engaged and received advice
This sustained level of engagement highlights the value of a locally embedded, department-based advice model.
The past year has seen progress in many areas, including:
Evaluation and insights
- A full evaluation of the service’s first year was undertaken in partnership with the Education Evaluation and Insights Team.
- Findings show a generally positive response from both students and staff, highlighting the impact of DSSAs in supporting student experience.
- Five recommendations were identified, with the DSSA leadership team now progressing those that can be actioned.
- Findings have been shared with departments, with follow-up conversations underway to discuss engagement, service offered and integration with departments.
Building capability and consistency
A programme of training has supported advisers to enhance their skills and knowledge, including Mental Health First Aid, Coaching skills and Note-taking.
- This investment is helping to ensure a consistent, high-quality service for students across departments.
Strengthening collaboration through a Community of Practice
A DSSA Community of Practice (CoP) has now been established, with four sessions delivered this year.
Representatives from 23 departments have joined sessions focused on sharing practice, learning from colleagues and improving joined-up working across the School.
Contributions from teams including Navigate, the Financial Support Office, Student Advice and Engagement, and Student Wellbeing Service have enriched discussions and strengthened connections.
Looking ahead and building on progress
The focus is on embedding consistent approaches, strengthening departmental integration, and enhancing the quality of support available to students.
Work is already underway to build on the progress made over the past two years, including:
- Training review and 2026/27 plan to further strengthen adviser capability
- Evaluation of the Community of Practice, with feedback informing next steps
- Ongoing departmental engagement, following evaluation discussions
- Development of Service Level Agreements, to provide clearer expectations and consistency across departments.