Today marks one year since the publication of the University Mental Health Charter. Created by thousands of staff and students, in partnership with leading higher education organisations, the Charter provides a set of evidence-informed principles to support universities across the UK in making mental health and wellbeing a university-wide priority.
It is safe to say 2020 hasn’t been the year anyone expected. Despite the ongoing challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are greatly encouraged by the commitment our university communities have demonstrated to advancing their work around mental health and wellbeing over the past year. We have seen universities investing in enhanced support for their staff and students and there are some incredible examples of the Charter beginning to inform interventions and university-wide mental health strategies. We wanted to celebrate this work by providing a space for university and SU staff and students to share their achievements from the past year and their reflections on the future of university mental health. Share how you have used the University Mental Health Charter this year on our virtual wall. At Student Minds, we used the Charter to inform our guidance, Planning for a Sustainable Future, which sets out how universities can continue to take a whole-university approach to mental health during the pandemic. We have also been developing the University Mental Health Charter Award, which aims to ensure the Charter leads to real cultural change by recognising universities that promote mental health and demonstrate excellent practice. Although we had to adapt our timescales and approach to developing the Award in response to the pandemic, we successfully completed three pilots in November. We are incredibly grateful to staff and students at our pilots sites; University of Derby, Glasgow Caledonian University and Hartpury University. They have helped to shape an Award that we are confident will support ongoing improvement across the higher education sector at a time when university mental health has never been more important. We are also grateful to the UPP Foundation and the Office for Students who have continued to fund this work. We plan to open the Award for applications in 2021 and will work with the sector to do so at a time and in a way which is supportive to university communities, recognising the ongoing uncertainty posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. We are excited to share further updates on our plans in the new year, sign up to the Charter newsletter to stay updated. Thank you again to colleagues across the sector for your dedication to supporting students in an unprecedented year and we hope you have a restful winter break. Student Space is here for students throughout the holidays. Explore our Christmas break resources and students in England and Wales can access direct support 24/7 via our support services.
1 Comment
At Student Minds we welcome the publication of plans which seek to enable students who live on or around campus to return home for the winter holidays. In an announcement on November 11th, the Government shared that students will be advised to travel home in the “student travel window”. This will be facilitated by a programme of mass testing which aims to provide students with the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about whether and how to return home. Universities are also being asked to take instruction online from 9th December in order to support this move.
We are now eager to see how provisions will be made for students who will remain in their university area over the holidays, and how the government will ensure a safe return to campus for students in time for the new university term next year. Please note that we strongly advise students and their loved ones consult instructions from their institution and official government guidance for up-to-date information regarding Covid-19 restrictions and travel. Facilitating mass-testing amongst the student population For many students, being able to return to their permanent address to see loved ones will be beneficial for their mental health and wellbeing, especially after the difficulties this autumn term. If a student knows whether they have the coronavirus, they are empowered to make informed decisions about self-isolating or returning home, which protect not only themselves but the wider population. Mass-testing therefore is important in enabling students to protect both their mental health and wider public health. As a result we want the government to ensure that every student will have access to these tests, with universities supported with the necessary resources to facilitate them in a timely, safe, cost-effective manner. Students who test positive should be provided with adequate support and receive communication to enable them to return home at a later date for the holidays if they wish. As students who want to return home are being encouraged to do so within a narrow timescale, we believe the government ought to ensure sufficient transportation is available to safely accommodate the mass movement of students across the country. Creating community and supporting students who stay at university for the holidays We also need to acknowledge that the christmas period can be difficult for students and not everyone will have the ability or preference to go home for the winter holidays. Some students may have a difficult relationship with family members, some may not have a family home to return to, and some students, particularly international students, might find that they can’t or don’t want to risk going home due to travel restrictions. Therefore, it is essential that there is appropriate support in place for students who remain at university through what can already be a difficult time of year without the additional challenges posed by the pandemic. Students staying at university must have access to essentials such as food and medicine, facilities such as launderettes, and health services. Community-building activities could also provide students with a means to connect with one another and feel less isolated over this period. The provision of all this means appropriate staffing will be necessary. We expect the government and institutions to ensure this is available by ensuring manageable workloads, fair pay, and reasonable responsibilities for university workers, to protect their wellbeing too. Importance of religious holidays for students Not all students of faith have been able to celebrate their religious holidays with their loved ones. We’ve seen religious holidays such as Eid and Diwali happening in lockdown. For many students being able to practice their faith and celebrate with their loved ones is key to their mental health and wellbeing. All religious holidays need to be accounted for when making decisions about guidelines that are made for the student population. The Government needs to share how they will enable students to get back to university safely Before the student travel window, the government should publish plans detailing how they will get students back to university safely in January for their next academic term. The ability for students to return to their university address may impact their decision to leave for winter break in the first place. Without such a plan for January, we will see another mass migration of students which presents numerous opportunities for disease transmission. As a sector and country we must learn from the lessons of September, to avoid putting students, staff, and our wider communities at risk. Help and support is available for students right now We understand that this has been a challenging and uncertain time for many students which is why Student Space is here to support students through the coronavirus pandemic. Students can access direct support via phone, text, web chat or email, information and resources to help them navigate university life and a directory of university support. At Student Minds we are pleased to be able to confirm that Student Space will be able to support students through the rest of the academic year. We are currently in the process of creating content to support students through the winter holidays and look forward to sharing these with you soon. In the meantime students can explore Becky’s blog and students experiences and tips of the winter holidays on the Student Minds Blog. Next Steps Once again, we look forward to hearing the government’s next steps and plans for students to return to campus in 2021. We will continue sharing our concerns for students directly with the Universities Minister's task force and will continue to share our recommendations publicly. Any plans made need to be co-produced in conversation with students and university staff. Students deserve a say and not to be met with so much uncertainty in their next academic term. It is essential we work together to protect the mental health and wellbeing of our student and university communities during these challenging and uncertain times. Student Space, our programme to support students in navigating university life during the coronavirus pandemic, is now three months old. Thanks to funding from the Office for Students (OfS) and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), and by collaborating with a broad range of sector partners and experts, we have developed an ambitious resource to support students during this serious and challenging time for student mental health and wellbeing.
In the first months of the pandemic, we heard from students about how the pandemic affected their lives, from the transition to online learning, changes to social life and concerns about the future. It’s clear that the events of this year have exacerbated existing challenges for student mental health, in addition to creating new ones. Since August, Student Space has been available to provide support students in England and Wales with these challenges, providing students with a trusted place to access direct one-to-one support, read or watch psychoeducation resources, and a directory to explore what support is available to them locally at their place of study. As we go into a second lockdown in England and complete a ‘firebreak’ in Wales, we know that the impact is going to be felt by students and universities for a lot longer than initially expected. We are pleased to confirm that utilising the existing funding allocation, the Student Space programme delivery period has now been extended from December 2020 until June 2021, enabling us to provide support throughout the rest of the academic year. Now that we’ve been delivering Student Space for a few months and students are well into the academic term - whether physically or virtually - we wanted to share some insights in what we’ve provided and learned so far and about our next steps. What has this academic term been like for students? The transition or return to university is always a time of uncertainty and change, but this year has been like no other. Students that started university for the first time broadly haven’t been able to experience the same opportunities as their predecessors, such as a rich variety of social activities, new sports and activities, meeting peers face-to-face, and exploring their campus and wider communities. Many students have had to self-isolate with people they’ve only just met in their accommodation, and due to lockdown restrictions are unable to meet new people beyond their household. Some have been struggling to engage with online learning, while others may not have had access to the technological means to successfully access course materials. It’s not only first-year students who have been affected. Students at all ages and levels of study have had to adapt to a drastically different learning and social environment. Our listening work and the research base from across the higher education community suggest that many students are facing uncertainty about the future, job loss, academic issues, disruption to ongoing mental health support, and financial difficulties, amongst a variety of other issues. What are we providing and learning through Student Space? Responding to this range of experiences, a great deal of work and care has gone into ensuring that Student Space is useful, effective and aligned with student needs. Firstly, we’ve developed more than 35 pieces of psycho-education content based on the issues that we know students are currently most concerned about. These articles, created by experts, undergo a rigorous clinical review process to ensure that they’re safe and effective for the students who access them. Since August over 36,000 users have accessed Student Space content. Secondly, we’ve developed a searchable directory of university services to support students during this period, with 139 Higher Education providers currently listed and more being added each week. This provides an accessible quick way for a student to find the support that is available to them at their institution at the click of a button. Finally, the cornerstone of Student Space is the one-to-one support provided specifically for students. This support can be accessed via text, phone, webchat or email. At this point, we’ve supported hundreds of students through these services and we are prepared to support thousands in the months ahead. Improving the visibility of Student Space, so that more students can find and benefit from the one-to-one support, is our keenest challenge. We’ve seen a rise in the number of students accessing our direct services since the academic year began and the pressures on student life don’t seem likely to resolve themselves any time soon. What happens next? With the second national lockdown, it is more important than ever that we continue to listen to student experiences, work with university staff, Health organisations and the government to ensure that students are supported through all aspects of the pandemic. At Student Minds, we will continue to listen to your needs to help support you during these challenging times. Although we’ve worked hard to deliver this programme over the last few months, we have no intention to rest on our laurels. The nature of the current situation means that students’ circumstances are likely to change. At Student Minds we are ready to adapt our approach, creating new content and commissioning new support services based on what students need. During this next phase of Student Space we will also be compiling a list of trusted third-party support services, based on a quality assurance process developed with the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, so that students can find out about additional routes to help for specific challenges. Thank you to all of our supporters We want to thank everyone in the Higher Education and Health sectors, all of our volunteers, partners and supporters for all you are doing to support students and one another. Our Student Advisory, Programme Advisory and Independent Governance Groups have provided invaluable input into Student Space the last few months and as we’ve prepared to extend. We know first hand that working with the fantastic people in our communities, both hard working and inspiring HE staff as well as enthusiastic and passionate students; we can face the challenges. As the UK’s mental health charity, we also believe that there is a need for much more to be done to support and empower this generation, and to tackle the root causes of distress and health problems in the months and years ahead. We hope to see a range of support provided for students and to protect the mental health of people across the nations, at a time where it has never been more crucial. In the meantime, please join us in spreading the word about Student Space and sign up to our mailing list to stay up to date. On Tuesday 6th October 2020, we were delighted to receive a visit from The Duchess of Cambridge to explore what we can do to improve student mental health. Our CEO, Rosie Tressler OBE, raised what we are doing at Student Minds to support the mental health of university students during the pandemic, such as the provision of Student Space. Her Royal Highness took the time to understand and listen to a range of students and staff to find out their experiences of university life right now. The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated many existing challenges that have an impact on students’ mental health, in addition to creating new ones. We know the transition to university can be a key pressure point in a student’s life at the best of times, without the additional barriers to socialisation and integration that quarantine measures can pose. Existing challenges that students face include academic pressure, loneliness, financial problems, and difficulties accessing care. As such, it is crucial that we get mental health and wellbeing support right for students during the coronavirus pandemic. This is why we developed Student Space, a new resource to support students through the pandemic. Student Space provides students with a trusted place to:
The University of Derby, who hosted the event, also discussed what they are doing at their university to support their students’ wellbeing through these challenging times, including running initiatives such as peer mentoring. As part of this initiative, nursing students are ‘buddied up’ with fellow students in the year above to provide them with peer support during challenging clinical placements. The university is also providing training to their sports clubs to enable students to support their teammates’ mental health. We also reflected together on the importance of creating long-term initiatives to support more universities to create whole-university approaches to mental health through the University Mental Health Charter. At Student Minds, we were elated to be joined by The Duchess of Cambridge and for the Royal Family to show such interest in the challenges facing student mental health today. We were proud to spotlight the hard work going on across the country, at local and national levels, to support mental health in our university communities through the pandemic. We hope that this visit will be the start of a long journey together improving student mental health and wellbeing. Photos: Richard Richards and Arthur Edwards
Student Minds responds to ‘disproportionate’ social distancing measures targeted at students30/9/2020 Over the weekend, many students, staff, and members of the wider community were shocked by the escalation of measures used to contain self-isolating students in halls across the country. Some of these measures were far more restrictive than any imposed during the March lockdown. Worryingly, the application of these measures lead to students and non-students being treated differently.
Some of the accounts we have heard are deeply troubling, describing difficulties in accessing food, students being obstructed from exiting their premises, a lack of communication from institutions, and the use of security threats to intimidate students into compliance. We will continue to monitor the situation and will actively seek first hand experience and insight from students affected in order to ensure our work is evidence-led. At Student Minds we are conscious that social distancing and self isolation can have a detrimental impact on student mental health. While we recognise the utmost importance of ensuring that our university communities are Covid-safe, we note that overzealous measures designed not to keep everybody safe and well, but to threaten students, do more harm than good. Where new lockdown restrictions are designed, either by higher education institutions or the government itself, we recommend the following: Students should not be subject to more stringent self-isolation measures than other groups of the population. Making regulations specifically targeted at students without accommodating for the breadth of student experience is unhelpful. For instance, a mature, commuter student and an eighteen year-old student living in university halls will experience their learning and engage with campus facilities differently. Beyond this, student-specific measures arbitrarily target and penalise certain members of the community, while we have yet to see evidence which unequivocally demonstrates that students are actually more likely to violate social distancing than the wider population. Mental health and wellbeing considerations must be accounted for at every stage of the decision-making process. The detrimental mental health impacts of self-isolation have been central in public discourse for the last six months. There is no excuse not to account for the potential harm to mental health that lockdown restrictions can inflict. Any such harms should be mitigated as much as possible, with proactive and specific measures and support put in place to ensure that our communities are as safe and healthy as possible. Universities and all levels of government should have a clear plan for how they are going to support students and staff through this period of instability, and be ready for multiple eventualities. Students and staff should be meaningfully included in decisions about the health and wellbeing of our university communities. At Student Minds, we know the importance of representing and learning from the lived experience of students and staff. Students and university staff know what is happening on the ground and understand what would make them feel safer and more supported. They have a right to be in the room for decisions that affect them, particularly following months of turbulence and uncertainty regarding the shape of higher education this year. We also note that many university staff have been working flat-out over the summer in order to support students as best they can. Our aim is not to blame these staff, and we want to reaffirm that the contributions of staff in universities and students’ unions have been remarkable throughout this period. However, we implore anybody involved in decisions surrounding lockdown measures to ensure that they are fair, non-discriminatory, and proportionate, with the mental health of our university communities considered at every step of the process. If you or someone you know is in need of support Student Space is here to help students through the coronavirus pandemic. Access online resources, direct support in a way that is right for you such as through our text support and phone line and find out what support is available at your university. We are troubled to hear of new lockdown restrictions in Scotland, agreed by Scottish university leaders, which exclusively target students.
We share the frustrations of students who have now been told not to return to their home address, not to mix with people from outside their household, and have been singled out by instructions not to attend hospitality venues. This follows months of messaging from institutions and the government encouraging students to move to campus and reassurances that they would still enjoy a full university experience despite measures needed to contain the pandemic. We have seen no evidence that restrictions imposed for a sole weekend will do much to stifle the spread of the virus, making this little more than a gesture that plays up to negative attitudes towards students while not doing anything of substance to protect them, university staff, or the wider community. This announcement comes at a time where much of the public discourse has pinned the blame on students for the resurgence of the virus. This does not reflect the reality we see where the majority of students are indeed worried about catching the virus and passing it on to others, nor does it represent the efforts of the many students who are obeying social distancing guidelines. We thus find measures which single out students to be needlessly divisive. As the United Kingdom’s national student mental health charity, we know that the transition period into university can be a particularly challenging time for new students even outside the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Lockdown restrictions were seen to have a negative impact on student mental health and wellbeing under the initial lockdown in March and April. As such, we are mindful that lockdown restrictions must be designed to cause as little detriment to student mental health as possible and complemented by increased mental health support. At Student Minds we strongly encourage all students and members of the wider community to follow social distancing guidelines and lockdown restrictions as they pertain to their area. However, such restrictions must be fairly applied and their benefit well-evidenced. Any guidelines created in response to the pandemic must be designed in such a way that the detrimental impact on mental health is limited as much as possible. We hope that, going forward, lockdown restrictions which apply to students will be co-created in meaningful consultation with student and staff representatives, to protect the mental health and wellbeing of not only our universities, but also our wider communities. If you are a student experiencing mental health difficulties, find out what help and support is available. Today we are proud to launch the Student Space platform, developed to support students in navigating university life during the coronavirus pandemic.
With A-Level results day (Thursday 13 August) marking a challenging turning point in a student’s academic calendar, the new programme will provide a raft of support designed specifically for students, at all stages of their higher education journey. The Universities Minister announced at the end of June that Student Minds would oversee the 6-month programme, which is funded by the Office for Students (OfS) and Higher Education Funding Council Wales (HefCW). It’s fair to say that the last seven weeks have flown by! We’re delighted that thanks to an immense amount of collaboration, plenty of hard work and much creative problem solving, the web platform is now live and available to each of the 2.3 million students studying on a Higher Education programme across England and Wales. What’s currently on Student Space? Student Space is here to make it easier for students to find the support that they need during the coronavirus pandemic, featuring trusted information, online tools and resources to support students wherever they are with their wellbeing and studies. Explore the site for guidance on learning online, handling bereavement and making friends remotely - provided in both English and Welsh. You can access the services we have commissioned for students who may be feeling overwhelmed or distressed, including a helpline and text support as well as a directory signposting students to services at their place of study. These resources will grow and be enhanced to meet emerging student needs in the months ahead. Thank you to all of our collaborators Student Space is the result of a lot of hard work and collaboration between a number of organisations over the last few weeks. We’d like to express our gratitude to the hundreds of people that have already engaged with us on this programme and played their part in helping us get here. While there are too many people to thank individually, we’d like to thank our core partners, without whom we would not have delivered this significant milestone. Thank you to:
So, what comes next? We now move into the next exciting phase for Student Space. In the next few weeks we will develop more content and commission additional services based on listening to students and higher education communities.We will also launch a quality-assured section of the platform, curating even more support options into one place. If you’re at an organisation that already provides useful, safe and relevant services for students, or are interested in being commissioned to deliver inclusive support that is responsive to the diverse needs and experiences of the student community, do keep your eyes peeled for our commissioning and quality assurance call in the next few weeks. Finally, as well as working hard along with our growing network of partners to promote Student Space, we’ll start sharing more data and insights outwards with the wider sector and community so we can all learn together. What can you do to help? We’d really appreciate your help to spread the word about Student Space in the coming weeks and months. One person can be the difference in a student’s life. Whether you’re a student with a friend who’s having a hard time, a parent who realises their child is nervous about going back to campus, or an academic or educator aiming to support your year group, we hope that you’ll find Student Space to be a valuable resource. We’re really proud of what we’ve achieved together so far, but there’s much more to come - so please do sign up for regular email updates to share in the exciting developments. To access Student Space visit studentspace.org.uk and find more FAQ’s on Student Space. Also, find our Welsh translation of this news piece. Heddiw rydyn ni’n falch o lansio platfform Student Space, sydd wedi’i ddatblygu i gefnogi myfyrwyr i fyw eu bywydau yn y brifysgol yn ystod pandemig y coronafeirws.
Gyda diwrnod canlyniadau Safon Uwch (dydd Iau 13 Awst) yn drobwynt heriol ar galendr academaidd myfyrwyr, bydd y rhaglen newydd yn darparu cefnogaeth amrywiol sydd wedi’i chynllunio’n benodol ar gyfer myfyrwyr, ym mhob cam o’u siwrnai addysg uwch. Cyhoeddodd y Gweinidog Prifysgolion ddiwedd mis Mehefin y byddai Student Minds yn goruchwylio’r rhaglen 6 mis, sy’n cael ei chyllido gan Office for Students (OfS) a Chyngor Cyllido Addysg Uwch Cymru (CCAUC). Mae’n deg dweud bod y saith wythnos ddiwethaf wedi hedfan heibio! Diolch i gydweithredu aruthrol, llawer iawn o waith caled, a digon o ddatrys problemau yn greadigol, rydyn ni’n hynod falch bod y platfform ar y we yn fyw nawr ac ar gael i bob un o’r 2.3 miliwn o fyfyrwyr sy’n astudio ar raglenni Addysg Uwch ledled Cymru a Lloegr. Beth sy’n rhan o Student Space ar hyn o bryd? Nod Student Space yw gwneud bywyd yn haws i fyfyrwyr ddod o hyd i’r gefnogaeth y mae arnyn nhw ei hangen yn ystod pandemig y coronafeirws, gyda gwybodaeth ddibynadwy, adnoddau ar-lein ac adnoddau i gefnogi myfyrwyr ble bynnag maen nhw gyda’u llesiant a’u hastudiaethau. Edrychwch ar y safle am gyfarwyddyd ar ddysgu ar-lein, delio â phrofedigaeth a gwneud ffrindiau o bell – sydd ar gael yn y Gymraeg ac yn Saesneg. Gallwch ddefnyddio’r gwasanaethau rydyn ni wedi’u comisiynu ar gyfer myfyrwyr sy’n teimlo’n ofidus neu dan bwysau efallai, gan gynnwys llinell gymorth dros y ffôn a chefnogaeth drwy negeseuon testun, a hefyd mynegai sy’n cyfeirio myfyrwyr at wasanaethau yn eu man astudio. Bydd yr adnoddau hyn yn cynyddu ac yn cael eu gwella i ddiwallu anghenion myfyrwyr fel maen nhw’n datblygu yn ystod y misoedd sydd i ddod. Diolch i bawb sydd wedi cydweithio gyda ni Mae Student Space yn ganlyniad llawer o waith caled a chydweithredu rhwng nifer o sefydliadau yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf. Hoffem fynegi ein diolch i’r cannoedd o bobl sydd wedi gweithio gyda ni eisoes ar y rhaglen yma a chwarae eu rhan yn y gwaith o’n helpu ni i gyflawni hyn. Er bod gormod o bobl i’w henwi’n unigol, hoffem ddiolch i’n partneriaid craidd, oherwydd hebddyn nhw ni fyddem wedi cyrraedd y garreg filltir bwysig yma. Diolch yn fawr i’r canlynol:
Nawr rydyn ni’n symud i’r cam cyffrous nesaf ar gyfer Student Space. Yn ystod yr wythnosau nesaf, byddwn yn datblygu mwy o gynnwys ac yn comisiynu gwasanaethau ychwanegol yn seiliedig ar wrando ar fyfyrwyr a chymunedau addysg uwch. Hefyd byddwn yn lansio adran sicrwydd ansawdd ar y platfform, gan gasglu mwy fyth o opsiynau cefnogi i un lle. Os ydych chi mewn sefydliad sydd eisoes yn darparu gwasanaethau defnyddiol, diogel a pherthnasol i fyfyrwyr, neu os oes gennych chi ddiddordeb mewn cael eich comisiynu i gyflwyno cefnogaeth gynhwysol sy’n ymateb i anghenion a phrofiadau amrywiol y gymuned o fyfyrwyr, cofiwch gadw llygad am ein galwad comisiynu a sicrwydd ansawdd yn ystod yr wythnosau nesaf. Yn olaf, yn ogystal â gweithio’n galed ochr yn ochr â’n rhwydwaith cynyddol o bartneriaid i hybu Student Space, fe fyddwn ni’n rhannu mwy o ddata a gwybodaeth gyda’r sector ehangach a’r gymuned, er mwyn i ni allu dysgu gyda’n gilydd i gyd. Beth allwch chi ei wneud i helpu? Byddem wir yn gwerthfawrogi eich help i ledaenu’r gair am Student Space yn ystod yr wythnosau a’r misoedd sydd i ddod. Gall un person wneud gwahaniaeth i fywyd myfyriwr. Os ydych chi’n fyfyriwr gyda ffrind sy’n cael amser caled, yn rhiant sy’n sylweddoli bod ei blentyn yn nerfus am fynd yn ôl ar y campws, neu’n academydd neu’n addysgwr sydd eisiau cefnogi eich grŵp blwyddyn, gobeithio y byddwch yn teimlo bod Student Space yn adnodd gwerthfawr. Rydyn ni’n falch iawn o’r hyn rydyn ni wedi’i gyflawni gyda’n gilydd hyd yma, ond mae llawer mwy i ddod – felly cofiwch gofrestru ar gyfer y diweddariadau e-bost i rannu’r datblygiadau cyffrous gyda ni. I weld Student Space ewch i studentspace.org.uk Mwy o wybodaeth yn y Cwestiynau Cyffredin yn Student Space. Student Minds are part of a major coalition of mental health charities seeking an urgent Mental Health Renewal Plan for England in response to Covid-19. Together the coalition is asking for a “New Social Contract” between the government, mental health charities, and other supporters to deliver crucial support in response to the pandemic.
We have added our name to a list of over fifty co-signatories who bring a wealth of expertise from across the mental health sector. The letter, which has been submitted to the Prime Minister, champions the importance of listening to those with lived experience. Together we argue that we are presented with a rare opportunity to improve and protect the mental health of every person in our society, in spite of the difficulties posed by the pandemic. At Student Minds, collaboration is one of our core values, and we believe the New Social Contract will enable mental health charities, voluntary organisations, and the government, to meaningfully work together. Mark Winstanley, CEO of Rethink Mental Illness said: “Mental health care has been chronically underfunded for decades and we were only just starting to see the impact of investment when the pandemic hit. “Covid-19 has changed the course of the journey we are on and we need to pool all our knowledge and resources to navigate the challenges ahead, with support at every level of government. There's an opportunity here to provide the nation with a renewal plan for mental health and to reduce some of the most damaging health inequalities in society. If we do not seize this chance, we will feel the impact of that failing for decades.” Reflecting on the significance of this for students, Rosie Tressler OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Student Minds, said: “As the UK’s student mental health charity, we understand the importance of teaming up with a broad coalition of partners dedicated to improving mental health across the country. Different groups in our society are exposed to the mental, emotional and economic difficulties posed by the pandemic, which could be felt for years to come. These difficulties could have a long-lasting impact if they are not properly addressed. We believe it is a question of intergenerational, societal fairness that we join calls for a Mental Health Renewal Plan for the nation, which also includes and addresses the specific needs of students. “We are vehemently in support of the letter’s call for health inequalities, which are being exacerbated and deepening in the wake of the pandemic, to be front and centre in a renewal plan and will continue to advocate for the needs and experiences of our diverse student population.” Read more about the New Social Contract and read the open letter to the Prime Minister. We are delighted to announce that up to £3m in funding has been awarded by the Office for Students (OfS) and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) for the development of targeted mental health support for students during the Covid-19 pandemic; Student Space.
Student Space will act as a single point of access to support for university and college students. The platform will consist of both immediate and preventative interventions to improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes. It will offer a range of clinically developed psychoeducational resources, curate and quality-assure other types of available support such as online guidance, peer support and volunteering opportunities, and provide accessible therapeutic interventions. We will collate existing services provided by universities to ensure students are equipped to access a full range of support. Student Minds will lead the development of Student Space, working with a range of partners, sector bodies and service providers to deliver a collaborative, clinically-approved support platform which brings together excellent work from across the sector. The programme is designed to help address the additional mental health challenges arising from the pandemic. The first phase of the programme will be launched in late July for all 2.3 million students at registered Welsh institutions and OfS-registered Higher Education providers in England. Rosie Tressler OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Student Minds, said: “Over the last few months, we’ve been listening to students, our university communities and partner organisations to learn how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting their lives, from the transition to online learning, to being away from their networks of support and concerns about the future. Students and staff alike have shown great adaptability amidst the uncertainty, but we also know that the pandemic is exacerbating existing challenges for student mental health in addition to creating new ones. There is a clear need for additional mental health and wellbeing support, to complement existing activity in the Higher Education sector and NHS, to ensure that students are supported and empowered through these unique circumstances. We know that the pandemic is not affecting every student in the same way, research has found that it is deepening long-standing health inequalities. This highlights the clear need for targeted accessible support which meets students’ broad variety of needs. We welcome the news of dedicated funding to develop support for students and look forward to working with a broad range of organisations to provide this much-needed programme. We hope this will become one of many initiatives to support the mental health and wellbeing of our society.” While Student Minds will oversee the development of Student Space, we will be commissioning a number of organisations in the development of bespoke content and services. To deliver this we will collaborate with a programme advisory group involving student, clinical and professional input. We will use all of our previous and current listening work with students to make sure the programme genuinely reflects the needs of our student communities. We will implement a student-informed evaluation framework and continue to share what we are learning about student experiences through Student Space to help inform local approaches in universities, Students’ Unions and the wider HE sector, during the Covid-19 recovery period. You can find out more information about Student Space as we develop our FAQs in the coming weeks. If you have any further questions please do get in touch with us at [email protected]. If you are looking for existing information on supporting students and your university community, explore our Coronvavirus Resource Hub and guidance for universities. |
Latest news
June 2024
|