Last updated: 12 October 2026 · Next review: October 2027
This framework brings our policies together into one system for checking the quality of our DSA-funded Non-Medical Help. It is built around the DfE membership standards for the NMH Register and the requirements of Student Finance England (SFE). Note: DfE's Register is not an accreditation, and we don't claim to be accredited by DfE, SFE or SLC.
1. Qualified, safe people
- Every support worker meets the DfE qualifications matrix for their role and holds current professional body membership (Qualifications, Supervision and CPD Policy).
- Enhanced DBS, right to work and references are checked before any student work.
- Insurance held: employer's liability (£5m), public liability (£5m), professional indemnity (£1m).
- Check: a compliance register (qualifications, memberships, DBS, insurance, CPD, training dates) reviewed every term.
2. Student-centred support
- Students are contacted within 2 working days of receiving their DSA2 letter details, and offered a first session as soon as suits them.
- A work plan is agreed with each student in the first sessions and reviewed with the student every 3 months.
- Support is delivered face to face, remotely, or both, as the student chooses, with reasonable adjustments (Equality and Diversity Policy).
- Check: every active student has a current work plan and review date.
3. Accurate records and honest claims
- Sessions are recorded only after they finish, confirmed by the student, and claimed in 15-minute blocks (Timesheets and Invoicing Policy).
- The timesheet system blocks sessions logged in advance, sessions beyond the approved DSA2 hours, and sessions after the course end date.
- Only confirmed sessions are invoiced; queried sessions are corrected before being resubmitted.
- Check: each month before invoicing, every session is checked against its confirmation and the DSA2 entitlement. Any invoice SFE queries is logged with its cause and fix.
4. Safety and safeguarding
- Safeguarding, lone working, health and safety, and data protection policies in place and followed.
- Check: safeguarding concerns, incidents and data breaches are logged and reviewed every term; training renewal dates are monitored.
5. Listening to students
- At the end of each academic year, students are asked whether they would like to give feedback. Feedback is only collected from students who agree, and they can choose to give it anonymously. It covers how useful, respectful and accessible their support is.
- Complaints are handled under the Complaints Policy and logged.
- Check: feedback is reviewed each year once it is collected, and complaints are reviewed as they come in. The actions taken are recorded.
6. Professional practice
- Regular professional supervision and annual CPD.
- Conflicts of interest are declared and managed (Conflicts of Interest Policy).
- Check: a sample of anonymised session records is reviewed against the work plan each term, to check notes are factual, proportionate and linked to the student's goals.
7. Audit readiness
- We cooperate fully with DfE and SFE audits and provide requested documents within 10 working days.
- Statement of interests kept current, with material changes reported to DfE within 10 working days.
Key measures we track
| Measure | Target |
|---|
| First contact after DSA2 details received | Within 2 working days |
| Sessions confirmed by the student | Every session confirmed before it is invoiced |
| Invoices queried by SFE | Each query logged, with its cause and how it was fixed |
| Complaints acknowledged within 3 working days | 100% |
| Compliance register up to date (no lapsed DBS, insurance, membership or training) | 100% |
| Students whose work plan has been reviewed in the last 3 months | 100% |
Annual review
Each summer, before the new academic year, we review all NMH policies, this framework, the measures above, feedback, complaints, incidents and audit outcomes, and write a short improvement plan for the year ahead.
Questions about this policy
Email nmh@neurodivergentminds.com. You can ask for this policy in another format (large print, plain text, or read through together in a session).
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