The discussion of the role of universities in supporting student mental health has been rumbling for years, and of late has crystallised around the emotional issue of student deaths by suicide.
Following the discussion on duty of care at the Parliamentary Petitions Committee this week, Jim Dickinson asked the provocative question of whether it’s time for a support excellence framework. Working on the frontline of this issue, I felt duty bound to offer my own personal reflections on how we might bridge the gap between what is being asked for, and what might be both useful and deliverable.
Perhaps controversially for someone in my position, I do think there’s a role for higher education regulators to play in this, and it would be ideal if (for once) this could be done on a UK-wide basis so that prospective students, parents and other interested stakeholders could see exactly where the whole sector stands.
