Going to university is a fun and exciting time for most students
– but it comes with unique challenges and stresses. We believe
that all students’ mental health and
wellbeing should be properly supported during their time at
university.
There is a range of mental health support available to students,
from online mental health and wellbeing platform Student Space to
counselling and one-to-one support. Here’s what you need to
know.
What action are you taking to support students’ mental
health?
Students struggling with their mental health can access Student Space, a mental
health and wellbeing hub supporting students.
Funded by £3.6 million from the Office for Students (OfS),
Student Space provides dedicated one-to-one text and web chat
support services. It’s also an online platform providing vital
mental health and wellbeing resources.
This service is part of the £15 million we have asked the OfS to
allocate towards student mental health in 2022/2023. This funding
will also be used to give additional support for those
making the transition from school or college to university. It
will also be used to address any challenges that students may
face in accessing local support services through their
university, by establishing better partnerships between
universities and local NHS services.
To ensure all the information is readily available for students
and young people, we have put together some useful links and
sources of mental health support so that everyone can get the
advice and help they need. This information is available
here.
We are also encouraging all universities to drive up their own
support for student mental health by signing up to the University Mental Health
Charter Programme.
What is the University Mental Health Charter
Programme?
The University Mental Health Charter programme supports
universities to make cultural change to better support students
and staff with their mental health and wellbeing, so that all
aspects of university life promote and support mental health.
By joining the programme, universities can benefit from improved
mental health for both their staff and students. Programme
members can work towards the Charter Award, which recognises
those universities that demonstrate excellent practice in
supporting student mental health.
What is the Department doing to reduce suicides at
universities?
Every student death is a tragedy and preventing suicide and
self-harm in our student populations is a key priority.
We strongly support the Suicide Safer
Universities guidance, led by Universities UK and Papyrus,
which includes guidance on sharing information with family and
friends in the event of a mental health crisis and practical
advice on compassionate, confident, and timely support when a
tragedy occurs.
Understanding student suicide data and risk factors is central to
informing preventative action, which is why we have worked with
the Office for National Statistics, which has published updated
data and analysis.
Our first ever Student Support Champion, Edward Peck, has also
been speaking to bereaved parents to understand where
improvements can be made.
What should I do if I’m worried about a friend or family
member at university?
We understand that helping a friend or family member with mental
health issues can be difficult. It is important that students
feel supported at this difficult time. There is support in place
and people who are available to listen.
If for any reason you have cause to believe that someone you know
is struggling with mental health and wellbeing issues at
university, we recommend following the NHS’ guidance: Helping
others with mental health problems - Every Mind Matters - NHS
(www.nhs.uk).
Universities have support services in place for their students
which can be accessed via their website, or by looking up your
university on the Student Space support pages.
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