Almost from its inception, Sheffield City Polytechnic has operated a system whereby each academic department allocates to every student a "personal tutor," who provides academic, professional, and personal assistance throughout the student's course of study. In 1988-89, in response to fiscal constraints, a number of departments made no formal allocation of personal tutors, relying instead on academic tutors to fulfill their role. In an effort to prepare academic tutors to meet these expectations, the college initiated a number of projects, including an in-house course on student support and tutoring; seminars/workshops bringing together academic and student support practitioners; and the preparation of an information packet for academic staff. In addition, the college undertook a study of student support services, focusing on the academic tutors with responsibility for students' first year of study. Interviews with personnel in every department revealed that sometimes the least experienced faculty had responsibility for providing student support. With case loads of up to 200 students, many of the tutors felt overburdened, especially facing students with major personal problems, such as family violence, pregnancy, and ill-health. Many tutors felt inadequately prepared or unwilling to deal with these problems. Asked about possible staff development, the staff requested briefing and support. Before selecting an approach to staff development, colleges should determine which model of student services best reflects their own programs. Predominant models include the pastoral care or "in loco parentis" model; the professional student services model; the curriculum model which bases student support within academic departments; and the personnel management model, in which the institution assumes responsibility for aspects of employee (i.e., student) welfare and training. (JMC)