Student Minds are delighted to welcome the 60 universities joining the University Mental Health Charter Programme in its second year, demonstrating their commitment to improving support for staff and student mental health.
Published in 2019, the Charter Framework provides a set of evidence-informed principles to support universities across the UK in making mental health a university-wide priority. The Charter Programme brings together universities committed to working towards these principles to share practice and create cultural change. This includes a commitment to working with staff and students to provide adequately resourced and effective support services, as well as creating an environment and culture that reduces poor mental health and promotes good mental health for the whole university community. The 60 universities on the Charter Programme form part of a UK-wide practice sharing network with access to events and opportunities to come together to improve their whole university approach to student and staff mental health. Programme members can also work towards the Charter Award, an accreditation scheme which recognises universities that demonstrate excellent practice. From our own research, we have found that 1 in 3 students find being at university negatively impacts their mental health, with 1 in 4 students having a diagnosed mental health issue. A variety of issues are negatively impacting student mental health such as loneliness, the cost of living and the ongoing impact of Covid-19. Therefore it is vital that we continue to build on the great work universities have already done in the past two years on the Programme, continue to learn from one another and make mental health and wellbeing a priority right across higher education. The Charter Programme was developed in consultation with staff and students, with initial funding from the UPP Foundation and the Office for Students and further funding from Jisc and the Charlie Watkins Foundation. We’d like to give special thanks to the University of Derby, Hartpury University and Glasgow Caledonian University, who supported us to pilot the Programme in 2020. We are delighted to be working with the following 60 universities to create cultural changes on their campuses:
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Today, we are celebrating one year since we launched the report ‘University Mental Health: Life in a Pandemic’. The report explored students’ experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic and considered all aspects of students' lives; their living arrangements, academic experience, social connectedness, access to support and mental wellbeing. A reminder of our key findings:
Reflecting on the year since, we recognise that lots has changed. We have seen the removal of all restrictions related to Covid, a widespread return to on-campus teaching and learning, and growing uncertainty in other areas such as the cost of living crisis. Whilst some of the challenges we saw in 2020/2021 have been mitigated, others have been exacerbated and students continue to be disproportionately impacted. In August 2021, we made a series of recommendations which we hoped would help to ensure students received increased support for their mental health and wellbeing. Whilst reviewing these recommendations alongside our more recent research findings, we have identified three key areas where students continue to need additional support: finances, social connectedness, and challenging transitions. We are therefore now recommending that the Government:
In addition, we are recommending that universities and students’ unions:
Our hope is that, with this additional support, students can enjoy their university experience without facing the additional stressors of financial hardship, loneliness, uncertainty and a lack of belonging. Without this support, we know that students’ experiences will suffer and their mental health will be at risk. Mae Student Space yma i aros gyda chyllid tair blynedd i gefnogi myfyrwyr i ymdopi ag ansicrwydd bywyd prifysgol.
Mae’n bleser gennym rannu ein bod wedi derbyn ymrwymiad ariannu tair blynedd o £262,500 y flwyddyn gan Office for Students a Chyngor Cyllido Addysg Uwch Cymru i ymestyn darpariaeth ein hadnodd cymorth ar-lein, Student Space. Daw ein cyhoeddiad ariannu wrth i adroddiad diweddar gan y Sefydliad Polisi Addysg Uwch (HEPI) ddatgan bod iechyd meddwl myfyrwyr yn dal i fod yn ‘her sylweddol’ a bod tua thraean o fyfyrwyr sy’n ystyried gadael prifysgol yn nodi iechyd emosiynol neu feddyliol fel y prif reswm. Mae Student Space, a lansiwyd yn Awst 2020 fel ymateb i effaith y pandemig ar fyfyrwyr y DU, yn darparu cymorth ar-lein arbenigol a chyngor lles i fyfyrwyr sydd efallai'n teimlo'n bryderus am eu hastudiaethau, am berthnasoedd neu am unrhyw agwedd o fywyd prifysgol. Rydym yn ddiolchgar am y cyllid ychwanegol i’n galluogi ni i newid y cymorth o fod yn ymateb i Covid-19 i fod yn lle hanfodol i fyfyrwyr fynd i’w cefnogi trwy ansicrwydd bywyd fel myfyriwr. Wedi’i ddatblygu mewn cydweithrediad â myfyrwyr, darparwyr gwasanaethau, gweithwyr addysg uwch proffesiynol ac ymchwilwyr, mae Student Space ar hyn o bryd yn cynnwys nifer o elfennau cymorth gan gynnwys cyngor a gwybodaeth, straeon myfyrwyr, gwasanaethau cymorth uniongyrchol (o linellau ffôn i negeseuon testun i wasanaethau cefnogi cyfoedion) a chyfeirio at wasanaethau prifysgol ac undeb myfyrwyr. Hefyd, i gydnabod y ffaith y gall problemau iechyd meddwl effeithio ar grwpiau o fyfyrwyr mewn gwahanol ffyrdd, mae cefnogaeth wedi'i theilwra wedi’i chreu hefyd. Hyd yn hyn, mae cannoedd o fyfyrwyr wedi defnyddio Student Space, ac mae grwpiau ffocws a gynhaliwyd gan y Ganolfan ar gyfer Iechyd Meddwl wedi canfod bod myfyrwyr yn ystyried y cynnwys fel cynnwys ‘defnyddiol iawn’, ‘cyfoes’ a ‘dilys’. Dywedodd Rosie Tressler, Prif Swyddog Gweithredol Student Minds: “Drwy Student Space rydyn ni wedi cyrraedd mwy na 300,000 o bobl hyd yma gan ddarparu cefnogaeth iechyd meddwl ddigidol a theilwredig. Mae'n glir o ymchwil diweddar i iechyd meddwl a lles myfyrwyr bod y pandemig wedi tynnu sylw at angen brys a phenodol am fwy o gymorth gydag iechyd meddwl i fyfyrwyr. Er hyn mae myfyrwyr yn parhau i gael anawsterau, gyda llawer yn teimlo'n unig a thua thraean yn ystyried gadael y brifysgol yn gyfan gwbl. Rydym yn croesawu'r cymorth parhaus gan yr Adran Addysg a Llywodraeth Cymru. Rydym yn parhau i fod ag uchelgais i wella ein gwasanaethau, gan dderbyn cyllid i sicrhau bod Student Space yn parhau i gyrraedd anghenion amrywiol y boblogaeth o fyfyrwyr Gobeithiwn y byddwch yn ymuno â ni i ddathlu'r newyddion gwych hwn. Edrychwn ymlaen at gefnogi mwy o fyfyrwyr trwy Student Space yn ystod y blynyddoedd sydd i ddod. Os oes gennych chi unrhyw gwestiynau neu unrhyw adlewyrchu i’w rannu, e-bostiwch studentspace@studentminds.org.uk. Student Space is here to stay with three-year funding to support students to navigate the uncertainty of university life. We are delighted to share that we have received a three-year funding commitment of £262,500 per year from the Office for Students and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales to extend the provision of our online support resource, Student Space. Our funding announcement comes as a recent report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) states that student mental health is still a ‘significant challenge’ and that around a third of students considering leaving university cite emotional or mental health as the main reason. Student Space, which we initially launched in August 2020 in response to the impact of the pandemic on UK students, provides a range of expert online support and wellbeing advice for students who may be feeling concerned about their studies, relationships or any aspects of university life. We are grateful for the additional funding to enable our plans to move the support from being a Covid-19 response to it being a vital place for students to go to support them through the uncertainty of student life. Developed in collaboration with students, service providers, higher education professionals and researchers, Student Space currently comprises several support elements including advice and information, student stories, direct support services (from phone lines to text to peer support services) and signposting to university and students’ union services. Plus, in recognition of the fact that mental health problems can impact groups of students in different ways, a range of tailored support has also been created. To date, hundreds of thousands of students have accessed Student Space, and focus groups conducted by Centre for Mental Health found that students considered the content ‘really helpful’, ‘current’ and ‘authentic.’ Rosie Tressler, CEO, Student Minds, said: "Through Student Space we’ve reached over 300,000 people to date providing digital and tailored mental health support. It’s clear from recent research into student mental health and wellbeing that, although the pandemic highlighted an urgent and specific need for increased student mental health support, students are continuing to struggle, with many feeling lonely and around a third considering leaving university altogether. We welcome this ongoing support from the Department for Education and the Welsh Government. We continue to have ambitions to improve our service offer, acquiring funding to ensure that Student Space continues to reach the diverse needs of the student population.” We hope you will join us in celebrating this fantastic news. We look forward to supporting more students through Student Space over the years to come. If you have any questions or reflections please email studentspace@studentminds.org.uk. Written by Seb Baird and Rosie Tressler OBE
Rosie is the CEO of Student Minds. Seb is a digital and product specialist in the charity sector, and provided digital strategy support for Student Space, Student Minds’ programme of support for students through the coronavirus pandemic. Our digital story so far Rosie: Student Minds is a relatively new charity, formed just over ten years ago. Like a lot of small charities, we’ve developed our technology on a shoestring: relying on free platforms, discounts for nonprofits and pro bono consultancy from bigger companies. This helped us to establish and maintain a core website and CRM at low cost. But we also found that our approach to digital was sometimes driven by short-term priorities, rather than a long-term strategic direction. Like a lot of charities, we were also pushed to explore more digital service delivery through the pandemic. Our training team, for example, which delivers mental health training for university staff, had to pivot entirely to online training methods. We also spun up Student Space, a programme of support for students through the pandemic, to be delivered mostly online. Even as the pandemic moves to a more predictable phase, though, it’s clear that digital services and content will be a continuing priority for us. Because of this, it made sense to take stock of our digital position and think more critically about the direction we should be heading. Gathering information Seb: I started the audit by going through the NCVO digital maturity matrix with the Student Minds Management Team. Filling out the matrix helped to unearth the assumptions and priorities that the leaders of the charity held around digital. This exercise gave me greater clarity in the next stage of the audit. I interviewed ten members of the staff team, across comms, design, training, operations, and programmes, asking questions on topics including:
Combining the insights gained from the interviews with my own analysis of the charity’s digital position, I was able to present a picture back to the organisation of the current challenges, and where to go from here. What we’ll be focusing on Seb: Four main priorities emerged from our research. 1. Strengthen and consolidate our web platforms Student Minds has several web properties. The research suggested that new properties were created based on short-term priorities and funded projects, in part because the core website had limited functionality to accommodate emerging needs. The number of web properties makes it harder for the team to manage content and development. It also has an impact on user experience: users of the secondary sites may not know that they’re interacting with Student Minds, and they miss opportunities to campaign, donate, or engage in some other way. Investing in the core Student Minds website will help to ease the pressure to create new ones. It will also allow the charity to take a longer view on which of the additional websites should continue to sit independently, and which can, in time, be integrated back into the core website. Building and consolidating will also have positive consequences for the other areas of focus. A stronger core web platform will open up opportunities for integration with a CRM, for example, and a smaller digital estate will make it easier to manage the organisation’s content in the long run. 2. Invest time and money in CRM development The research showed that there’s work to be done to harness the data that the organisation holds. Building capacity in the CRM will help staff to work more efficiently, and manage relationships more effectively. It will also lay the groundwork for a better communications experience, helping to serve audiences with the right messages at the right time. Here’s how we’ll work towards a more effective CRM:
Student Minds is firmly in the content business: across the properties, they have published hundreds of pieces of content, ranging from students’ personal stories to advice content written by clinicians. Lots of this content is high quality, performing well in user testing and according to web analytics. However, the process of creation isn’t always consistent. The organisation needs an over-arching content strategy across its properties, and it needs an approach so that governance receives as much energy and attention as creation. Approaching content more strategically will help us to reach more people with the content that they need, and build our reputation as a trusted source of advice and information around student mental health and wellbeing. 4. Embed digital values As we embark on this work, the priorities might shift and change with the organisation - that’s to be expected. But we should also be prepared to embrace digital ways of working to ensure that we don’t lose our way in this journey. The values we identified are:
Why we’re hiring a digital lead Rosie: Doing this work will likely be a long journey, and we recognise that, if we want to make progress, we’ll need skills and expertise that we don’t currently have. So we’re excited to hire a Digital Lead for the first time, to oversee and develop this area of work. We’re looking for someone who has experience managing digital products in a non-profit or similar environment. More importantly, we’re looking for someone with the right qualities: someone who can see the big picture, someone with a willingness to learn new platforms, and someone who can support colleagues to embrace digital approaches. We also want someone who will help make sure our digital products are accessible to everyone, in line with our commitment to anti-racism. We recognise that the scope of this role might seem daunting, but we are committed to supporting the right candidate to succeed in the post through training and mentoring. If you don’t meet all the criteria for the role, but are excited about the work it entails, we encourage you to apply. Read the full job description here. Helpful conversations about student mental health in the media and press are always great to see and are vital to creating change. However, some coverage can be dangerous and create more challenges and confusion for our university communities. As the UK’s national student mental health charity, we have serious concerns about HUMEN’s university mental health rankings and the surrounding coverage this week.
Our understanding of HUMEN’s “league table” is that it was intended as a tool to inform students. Unfortunately, given our doubts about its robustness and methodology, we are concerned it could be misleading, harmful, and negatively impact student choice. There are hundreds of complex factors which can shape students’ mental health and wellbeing at university, which might not always be obvious at first glance. Things like the quality of accommodation, social opportunities, and the curriculum can have a huge influence. We also know that a number doesn’t tell the whole story - solely looking at how much money a university invests in mental health services is reductive. You cannot get a complete understanding without looking at important factors, such as if the university is funding quality, student-appropriate services; the size and make up of the student population; whether a university is instead investing in preventative measures, or how strategically and holistically this funding is being used. Proper policies and procedures around things like referrals and disclosures are crucial to ensuring students access timely support, but this nuance is impossible to capture with such simple measures. It isn’t clear how many of these factors have been taken into consideration by HUMEN. Having now had a chance to review the methodology, we have multiple concerns, including that their sampling approach is flawed, that the metrics they developed are arbitrary and not grounded in evidence, and that the rankings fail to engage with decades of scholarship exploring student mental health. At Student Minds we believe in an open, collaborative approach, where we share insights and evidence openly with everyone who shares our mission. We were disappointed that HUMEN did not share their methodology from the outset when they published their league table, at which point their initial announcement had already received considerable traction. For these reasons, while we want to see more organisations advocating for better student mental health, we sadly can’t support the approach HUMEN has taken on this occasion. We know that a nuanced approach to understanding student mental health, catered to each university, is the best way to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities. That's why we developed the University Mental Health Charter. We work with universities directly and support them to adopt a whole-university approach to mental health, based on evidence-informed, peer-reviewed research developed over the course of many years. Together, we need to get this right. We welcome HUMEN to reach out to us to discuss our work, the expertise across the sector, and our concerns with their rankings. We always encourage further investigation into student mental health, but for such a serious topic it is crucial that research is done properly. Are you a student looking to take action to improve student mental health on your campus? Use our Student-Led Improvement tool to create positive change at your university, explore the support available on Student Space and read students’ stories on the Student Minds Blog. Charities call on universities to make mental health a university-wide priority as restrictions lift3/3/2022 This University Mental Health Day (Thursday 3rd March) organisers are calling on the higher education and health sectors to make mental health for staff and students a year-round priority.
Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity, in collaboration with the University Mental Health Advisors Network, are urging universities to address the ongoing mental health impacts of the pandemic on students and staff as final restrictions are lifted, and to provide increased support as students transition back into campus life. Research carried out by Student Minds in January found that 52% of students have felt lonely or isolated during the recent Autumn term, yet 47% of respondents with experience of mental health issues said they had no intention of disclosing this to their university. Additionally, 43% of respondents said they need support to manage their wellbeing, and fewer than 50% felt equipped to manage the pressures of university life. Rosie Tressler, CEO, Student Minds said: “It’s concerning that so many students are struggling to manage the challenges of university life yet, for whatever reason, they feel unable to reach out to their university for support. This needs to change. “While we know numerous factors cause students to feel hesitant when discussing their mental health, communicating what resources and support services are available and reminding students that they are not alone in feeling this way is paramount. “University Mental Health Day provides us with an opportunity to bring these issues to the fore, on the understanding that we should all continue to work together to make student mental health a priority, ensuring that support services are appropriately resourced and communicated effectively throughout the academic year. “However, it’s not just responsive support services that we need, indeed the very culture of university life should be considered and reflected upon, to ensure that students are learning as part of a supportive community in which they can thrive.” Funding for Student Space, an online support platform created and managed by Student Minds and designed to complement university wellbeing services, has also been extended thanks to the Office For Students and Higher Education Funding Council for Wales until the end of this academic year. This will ensure students can rely on consistent support provisions following the lifting of the remaining Covid restrictions. Student Space has to date welcomed thousands of students to its digital platforms comprising several support elements including advice and information, student stories, direct support services (from phone lines to text to peer support services) and signposting to university and students’ union services. Plus, in recognition of the fact that the pandemic has impacted groups of students in different ways, a range of tailored services and content has also been created. Rosie added: “This isn’t about apportioning responsibility to any single part of the higher education sector, it’s about working together to build healthy and supportive student communities, maintain services and keep conversations going – which includes efforts by universities, the Government’s Department for Education, the NHS and health systems, sector bodies, charities like ours and of course students themselves – as we know how important peer support is as well. “It has been great to see how far we have come in the past ten years, now with 41 universities signing up the University Mental Health Charter to create cultural change at their institutions. However more needs to be done, more people need to get involved. The more we work together the greater the impact we can have. But we must keep student wellbeing front and centre for the sake of our students’ health as well as the immeasurable impact our university communities continue to have on our society.” To find out more about University Mental Health Day visit www.unimentalhealthday.co.uk To access Student Minds’ mental wellbeing resources, visit www.studentspace.org.uk We are delighted to share that we have extended our online support platform, Student Space, following recommendations from independent think tank, Centre for Mental Health. Identifying a continued need for student mental health resources, Centre for Mental Health’s report recognised the ongoing value of Student Space, which we launched in August 2020 in response to the impact of the pandemic on UK students. The project was initially due to end in January but this has now been extended to provide support for the rest of this academic year in response to student need. Student Space was developed in collaboration with services, higher education professionals, researchers and students. It comprises several support elements including advice and information, student stories, direct support services (from phone lines to text to peer support services) and signposting to university and students’ union services. Plus, in recognition of the fact that the pandemic has impacted groups of students in different ways, a range of tailored services and content has also been created. To date, thousands of students have accessed Student Space, and focus groups conducted by Centre for Mental Health found that students considered the content ‘really helpful’, ‘current’ and ‘authentic.’ Rosie Tressler, CEO, Student Minds, said: "Student Space has enabled us to reach over 250,000 people to date through our digital and tailored support to support their mental health. As the impact of the pandemic continues, it has been apparent just how much this has disrupted students nationally. This is why Student Minds is pleased to announce the continuation of Student Space, our bespoke programme to support students' mental health throughout the pandemic. We are proud to be able to support students through the challenges posed by the pandemic, as well as other obstacles, such as imminent cost of living increases." This extension is made possible thanks to the partnership and funding from the Office for Students and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. Jess, a third-year student at the University of Exeter says she felt ‘extremely supported’ by Student Space. Jess has been struggling with OCD which became increasingly challenging during the pandemic. She said: “COVID-19 brought back for me old fears surrounding contamination, illness, and not being able to protect loved ones. Therefore, I felt as though if I didn’t wash my hands enough times then there was an actual chance that I could contribute to a family member getting ill or even dying, by spreading the virus. This led to me giving into a lot of my OCD behaviours and compulsions more frequently, which I had before been able to overcome gradually over many years. “Unfortunately, my OCD became stronger, feeding off the most recent facts and figures broadcasted on the news, and this had a majorly negative impact on my relationships with those around me, my university work and grades, and severely damaged my self-esteem. “Student Space gave me the confidence to contact my university wellbeing service and obtain the adjustments that I needed for assignments, such as essay extensions and rest-breaks during exams. Their tips on how to manage a mental health difficulty during the pandemic, and advice on looking after my general wellbeing and managing finances whilst at university was particularly useful. Greater awareness and better education on these matters is such an important and great starting point, so I’m thrilled to see Student Minds bringing this into action.". At Student Minds, we’re so pleased that we can continue to be there for the students that need us.
At Student Minds, our passionate and innovative team brings our work to life. We want people to thrive with us; we believe our team does their best work when they feel their best. Our team comes first and we are proud of our culture. We offer a supportive, flexible and enjoyable place to work. Read what members of our staff team have to say about their experience of working at the charity:
Student Minds are excited to announce that an additional 9 universities have committed to improving the mental health of the whole-university community by joining the University Mental Health Charter Programme. The following universities have joined the 32 universities that were announced in July this year:
These 9 universities will work together as part of a UK-wide practice sharing network to share practice and improve their approach to promoting the mental health and wellbeing of students and staff. As well as accessing a range of events and opportunities to support them to achieve cultural change at university, Programme members can also work towards the Charter Award, an accreditation scheme which recognises universities that demonstrate excellent practice. The Charter Programme was developed in consultation with staff and students, with initial funding from the UPP Foundation and the Office for Students and further funding from Jisc and the Charlie Watkins Foundation. Student Minds CEO, Rosie Tressler OBE, said: “Thank you to those institutions that have joined our growing community of universities committed to creating long-term, strategic change in mental health and wellbeing. The mental health of students and young people has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Coming together to understand and implement the very best practice has never been more important if we are to reverse this trend. Together, we can create a future in which everyone in higher education can thrive." For the latest updates about the University Mental Health Charter, please visit our website or sign up to our national newsletter to keep up to date with the University Mental Health Charter. |
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