Universities urged to do more to prevent student suicide
Author/Source: Zoe Tidman - Independent UK | 12/01/2023
Universities have been told to take a more proactive role in preventing student suicide - including by contacting families when there are serious concerns around mental health.
New recommendations include the option of involving trusted contacts such as parents or others even without agreement from the student.
This should be used in situations where there are serious concerns about the person’s safety or mental health, according to Universities UK (UUK).
Its guidance - issued in partnership with the Papyrus suicide prevention charity - is the first time a consistent practice has been proposed for the sector.
UUK, which represents 140 universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, said the recommendations place the student at the centre of decisions about their safety and care.
But it said that, while it is always preferable to get agreement from the student, if there are serious concerns about their safety or mental health then universities can decide to involve trusted contacts without their agreement.
It advised that those decisions should be taken by appropriately qualified staff and supported by senior leadership and made in the student’s best interests.
The guidance includes making it mandatory for students to give a trusted contact – not necessarily a parent – when they register at university, and starting a conversation about when and how these contacts might be involved.
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