Student Welfare Service

The Student Welfare Service has professionally trained staff to help you work through the unexpected problems that sometimes catch you by surprise. We understand the difficulties for students due to COVID19 and encourage you to make use of the below information on University support and links to external agencies.

Referral to other services

Sometimes you might need to seek assistance from other services, such as as the University Counselling Service or Disability Service or an external support such as a government agency or community support provider. Western Sydney University Welfare Officers can help you with information and advice about the right services to talk to.

TalkCampus

TalkCampus is a free app that you can download onto your device to talk anonymously to other students from universities and colleges around the world. Access free mental health support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

TalkCampus is a safe student network that’s all about support. This means you can talk to your peers about exam stress, anxiety, depression and a range of other matters. The app is available in 25 languages including English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu and Bengali.

The TalkCampus app is available for free to all Western students. You can download the app from Google Play or the App Store. To sign up, please use your Western student email address to unlock the app free of charge. For more information, visit the TalkCampus webpage.

If you are impacted by COVID19 we encourage you to make use of the below links to government and community services and other financial counselling services.

Study Australia Partners

Australian Government hotline and dedicated email for international students

1300 981 621 (8am to 8pm AEDST Monday to Friday)

international.students@dese.gov.au

Study in Australia and their partners provide support to the international student community.

Study in Australia website

NSW Government support

An international student support service offering:

• information about a temporary housing scheme through approved student accommodation or homestay providers
• free advice and information about stopping rental evictions
• medical, mental health, legal and emergency support
• increased support via the International Legal Service NSW through 50,000 free subscriptions to the multilingual My Legal Mate student app

Phone: 13 77 88 - Service NSW Government COVID-19 hotline or visit the Service NSW webpage for further information

Community Services that may be able to provide food assistance, financial assistance and assistance with utilities:

• Study NSW - International Student Welfare Service Hub provides a list of services that offer assistance to International students on a range of issues including emergency food assistance. Click here to find out more about emergency food assistance.
• Australian Red Cross - Emergency relief support for people on temporary visas
• The Salvation Army Community Service Centre
  Phone: 13 72 58
  www.salvos.org.au
• St Vincent de Paul
  Phone: 13 18 12
  http://vinnies.org.au
• Anglicare
  Phone: 1300 111 278
  www.anglicare.org.au
• St Vincent de Paul Society Community Hub at Harris Park – providing fresh food hampers to WSU students. Phone: 8861 9757 (to make an appointment to ensure social distance protocols can be followed)

Financial Counselling and other resources

• Insider Guides (see COVID-19 Resources Hub). Provides up-to-date information on matters relating to international students including webinars with industry experts.
• Financial Counsellors’ Association of NSW
  Phone: 1300 914 408
  www.fcan.com.au
• ASIC MoneySmart
  www.moneysmart.gov.au Provides calculators and tips to help you make better financial decision from ASIC and the Australian Government

Contact the Student Welfare Service

Our office hours are Monday to Friday 9.00am - 4:30pm.
Email: welfareservice@westernsydney.edu.au
Phone: 1300 668 370 (option 4 then option 1)

IMPORTANT NOTE: We are providing support online and currently not available at our campus locations. Please call or send an email using the above contact details if you require support.