Higher education representatives have been told to take action on
student mental health by the Education Secretary today (4
December). He has called on universities to do more to reach out
to students’ emergency contacts when it is clear that they are at
risk of a mental health crisis.
has written to Julia
Buckingham, who is chairing a roundtable on student mental
health, asking the sector to maintain the focus that has been
built up in recent months following the Student Mental Health
Summit that was held at the University of the West of England in
June 2018.
The event, hosted by Universities UK (UUK), will aim to develop
advice for universities on consent for the disclosure of
information about severe student difficulties to third parties.
Giving universities clear guidance on this issue will ensure
young people struggling at university will have every possible
chance of receiving help from someone in their domestic support
network. This is particularly important for students studying
away from home, who may have a reduced support group.
Education Secretary said:
Ensuring that university students, many of whom will be leaving
home for the first time, are supported is a key challenge for
my department and the higher education sector as a whole.
Our universities are world leading in so many areas and I want
them to be the best in the world for support and pastoral care
as well. Ensuring that universities get better at reaching out
to family members if a student is struggling with mental health
is a big step along the road to delivering that ambition.
I’ve made clear to the sector how important this issue is and
now I want them to work together to find a clear way forward so
young people can get support from every person and organisation
best able to give it.
In a recent Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) survey, 75%
of applicants to higher education expected universities to
contact a parent or guardian in situations where they are faced
with serious challenges relating to their mental health.
The new UUK advice will need to build on this by giving 100% of
students every possible opportunity to choose to receive care
from families and trusted friends alongside the support they get
from student welfare teams and the NHS.
