Student mental health policy

1. Introduction

1.1 University can represent a key transitional period and important milestone for many students, bringing with it a number of new and exciting experiences. These experiences can be challenging, stimulating and complex. Although this new environment may provide students with a range of opportunities to develop and flourish, the intensity and pace of university may put a strain on mental health and bring pre-existing difficulties to the surface.

1.2 In addition, disability legislation, increased student numbers and widening participation have all impacted the number of students with mental health conditions accessing higher education.

1.3 The University has a duty of care to all students and aims to promote positive mental health and well-being. In line with this care it is imperative that the University has a safe, non-judgemental and supportive environment for all students.

2. Definition of mental health difficulties

2.1 Mental health is something which all individuals have and it is something which can fluctuate during a lifetime.

2.2 The primary focus of this document is those students who experience mental health difficulties. The term ‘mental health difficulty’ is used for the purpose of this document to describe students who experience:

• A temporary, but difficult response to stress or external pressures, a painful event, physical illness or symptoms of drug or alcohol use. This response is likely to affect other areas of the student’s life.
• A long-term mental health condition which may have a significant impact on their day-to-day life (e.g. anxiety, depression, eating disorder, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder).

Please note: The above list is not intended to be exhaustive.

2.3 Many individuals, at times will experience some of the symptoms of mental health difficulties (e.g. anxiety, reduced motivation, disrupted sleep) and some are natural reactions to common life events. The severity is reflected in the intensity of the symptoms, their duration and their impact on the student’s life and functioning.

2.4 When supporting a student with a mental health difficulty it is good practice to listen to and respect the terminology used by the student to describe their mental health difficulty.

3. Supporting legislation

3.1 The University is committed to supporting any student experiencing mental health difficulties. However, it is important to remember that, with a few exceptions, students are adults who have responsibility for their own actions and choices. Students, therefore, have the right to decline any support offered or to act upon any advice given.

3.2 Three key pieces of legislation may be particularly helpful when supporting students with mental health difficulties:

• The Mental Health Act (2007). This act outlines the rights of those experiencing a mental health difficulty and under which circumstances they can be detained. It is imperative to be aware of the fact that, people with mental health difficulties have the same rights and responsibilities as other people. The only exception to this is when an individual is detained under the act.
• The Equality Act (2010). This act outlines that within the law, those with significant and long-term mental health difficulties fall within the definition of disability. These students may require reasonable adjustments to allow fair and equal participation in their learning.
• The Data Protection Act and the University’s Data Protection Policy are key in understanding how information is gathered and used. UWL Data Protection Policy.

4. Other policies

4.1 Below are a number of policies that should be read in conjunction with the University’s Mental Health Policy. They will provide further context and guidance when working with students experiencing mental health difficulties.

• Dealing with unacceptable behaviour policy
• Fitness to study policy
• Fitness to practise
• Cause for concern policy
• Student's code of conduct

5. Aims of the policy

5.1 To continue supporting the mental health of students, the University policy aims to:

• Provide a clear framework which will ensure a consistent approach towards students, prospective students and their mental health needs across the University. See UWL Health and Wellbeing Framework
• Make clear the roles and responsibilities of all staff when working with students experiencing mental health difficulties.
• Outline the support available to students and prospective students within the University around mental health or if there are concerns about another student’s mental health.

6. Scope and limitations

6.1 This policy covers all current and active students with a mental health condition or difficulty and outlines the University’s and individuals’ responsibilities in these circumstances.

6.2 Certain support may be available to prospective students prior to their start with the University however, this will vary between teams. For example, counselling and welfare support is not available to prospective students.

6.3 This policy does not address the mental health needs of University staff who are encouraged to consult with the Human Resources department for further information and support.

6.4 This policy does not offer an alternative or replacement for external community mental health services and does not replicate NHS Mental Health provision.

6.5 The University does not offer a crisis service and its services are not available ‘out of hours’.

7. Support available to students

For further information and contact details of any of the services listed below, please see Appendix A.
From September 2020 students can register, upload medical evidence (where appropriate) and book appointments with Student Services teams such as Wellbeing and Welfare via an online platform called the StudentHub.

7.1 Wellbeing (Mental Health)

7.1.1 The Wellbeing Adviser (Mental Health) provides confidential, specialist advice and guidance regarding a wide range of mental health difficulties and conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, personality disorder and PTSD.

7.1.2 Support for students can be offered through many different avenues such as reasonable adjustments, advice, and information around Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs), Individual Support Plans (ISPs), monitoring of students with mental health difficulties and where appropriate liaison with external agencies. The adviser may also assist, advice and liaise with academic school staff on how best to support students’ mental health.

7.2 What is an Individual Support Plan (ISP)?

7.2.1 An ISP is a confidential document that details the learning and teaching support provisions a student requires during their academic study. The ISP is intended to assist the student in communicating their requirements to tutors, course leaders and/or doctoral supervisors. The University is required to implement the support recommended in an ISP in order to ensure compliance with the Equality Act 2010.

7.2.2 An ISP is available to any student with a disability or mental health condition at the University. It requires confirmation of diagnosis through appropriate medical evidence and will remain in place until the student graduates. If changes are required during study a review of the ISP can take place.

7.3 Wellbeing (Counselling)

7.3.1 The Counselling Service offers professional, specialist therapeutic and psychological support for current students wishing to explore any difficulties they may be experiencing. Our team of counsellors provides a safe and confidential space for students to talk about their lives and anything that may be distressing.

7.3.2 Counselling is offered face to face, by telephone or via online video call (Skype) on a one-to-one basis.

7.4 Wellbeing (Disability)

7.4.1 Wellbeing (disability) Advisers provide confidential, specialist advice and guidance regarding a range of disabilities such as: specific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia or dyspraxia), long term medical conditions (e.g. epilepsy, diabetes and asthma), and sensory impairments, autistic spectrum conditions, physical impairments and mobility difficulties.

7.4.2 Support can be offered through many different avenues such as: Assistance with diagnostic assessment, arranging support workers, advice and information around Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) and development of Individual Support Plans (ISPs). The adviser may also assist, advise and liaise with academic school staff on how best to support students with disabilities.

7.5 Student Welfare team

7.5.1 The Student Welfare team are the first point of contact in supporting students with low-level emotional, psychological or mental health difficulties. The Welfare team will refer students to more specialist services when this is appropriate and liaise closely with the relevant teams through case conferencing and relevant follow-up.

7.5.2 The Student Welfare team can support students during crisis of any kind including those around mental health. They are not a medical crisis team however they can also support students to be engaged with other appropriate services around this crisis.

7.6 Academic staff

7.6.1 Staff within academic departments may play a significant role in identifying signs of emerging difficulty, typically through profound changes in patterns of attendance and academic performance. If an ISP has been provided for a particular student, the academic should ensure that all reasonable adjustments have been implemented as a failure to follow the recommendations in the ISP could lead to a change in student’s behaviour and/or academic performance. They can also support students by encouraging them to seek appropriate specialist support through the University Wellbeing team or their general practitioner (GP).

7.7 Admissions

7.7.1 Prospective students are encouraged to indicate any disability they have at the point they are making their application to the University. A severe or enduring mental health difficulty may be classed as a disability for this purpose. The advantage to the student of disclosing this information at this point is that this starts a dialogue regarding their support needs at an early stage, making it more likely that appropriate support can be in place for their arrival. All staff who have contact with applicants should encourage early disclosure of additional needs in order that this dialogue takes place and to ensure that UWL can meet the needs of the student. This is particularly important when students apply to UWL as late applicants as this impacts the time available to organise appropriate support. See Admissions Policy.

7.8 Interfaith Adviser/Chaplain

7.8.1 Students can use the University’s Interfaith Adviser/Chaplain for a wide variety of spiritual/faith issues.

7.9 Fitness to practise

7.9.1 Programmes such as Nursing & Midwifery and Social Work which lead to professional registration are required to have their own policies and procedures regarding a student’s fitness to undertake a professional placement as part of their programme or to progress towards or qualify in that particular profession. These are required to assess the risk of harm to members of the public.

7.10 Fitness to study

7.10.1 This is an internal UWL policy which is to be used when there are significant concerns around a student’s fitness to engage with or complete their academic study. This may sometimes be in relation to a student’s mental health and well-being. The Fitness to Study process is not a punitive one and does not replace disciplinary action where needed.

7.10.2 The fitness to study process can be called by any member of UWL Staff where there are significant concerns around a non-NHS or social work course.

8. Recognising student mental health difficulties

8.1 Possible indicators of student mental health difficulty

8.1.1 Everyone’s experience of a mental health difficulty will be unique and different. Therefore, the signs and indicators for someone experiencing a mental health difficulty will vary between individuals.

8.1.2 The indicators below do not directly mean that the student has a mental health difficulty. The indicators should only be used as a trigger to start a dialogue with the student about what they consider the problem to be. This will allow staff to offer support to the student where appropriate.

8.1.3 Any of the indicators below can affect anyone at some time in their life. However, if a student is experiencing a number of these indicators over a period of time or there is an increase in their severity, it may be appropriate to offer support. Some general signs to look out for could include:

Behaviour changes

• Withdrawal
• Changes in attendance
• Deterioration in academic performance
• Acting out of character
• Incongruent responses to situations

Cognitive changes

• Lack of concentration
• Mood swings
• Loss of Confidence
• Irritability
• Feeling overwhelmed

Physical changes

• Panic attacks
• Noticeable weight gain/loss
• Low energy
• Decline in personal hygiene
• Sleep disturbances

8.1.4 Any member of staff who is concerned about the mental health of a student, who is not in distress, may like to contact the Mental Health Adviser for advice. This conversation does not necessarily require the student’s identity to be disclosed or shared with the Mental Health Adviser.

8.1.5 The University offers mental health awareness training to all staff who would find this helpful. This is designed to introduce common mental health conditions and their presentations, in addition to equipping staff with the skills to feel confident in approaching and supporting students in these situations.

8.1.6 The University encourages all of its staff to participate in any training and development which supports them to feel comfortable and confident within their role. Information about mental health awareness sessions and how to book them can be found through the Learning and Development team.

9. Taking action

9.1 The role of staff in taking action

9.1.1 Not everyone who experiences a mental health difficulty will pose a risk to themselves or others. However, on occasion a student may require urgent or emergency attention due to threats of harm to themselves or others.

9.1.2 If staff become concerned about a student’s mental health, there are two pathways that can be taken:

• If it is an emergency: In these situations staff are asked to follow the actions detailed in the emergency section of the ‘Student in Distress’ (Appendix B) and to inform Wellbeing.
• If it is not an emergency: Here staff are asked to refer to the non-emergency section of the ‘Student in Distress’ (Appendix B).

9.2 The role of students

9.2.1 Any student who is concerned about another student’s mental health is encouraged to read and follow the actions outlined in the ‘Friend in Distress’ (see Appendix C). A hard copy of this flowchart can also be picked up or requested from Student Services or can be downloaded by visiting the Wellbeing team's Blackboard community page.

9.2.2 In addition, students can complete accredited ‘Look after Your Mate’ training. This aims to equip students with basic tools to recognise the initial signs of difficulty in others, how to approach this where appropriate and provides information around how students can look after their own mental health in the process. Students can access this course by signing up through the University’s Counselling Service on the StudentHub.

10. Urgent or emergency situations

10.1 All University staff should respond to students with mental health difficulties in a non-discriminatory, non-stigmatising and positive manner.

10.2 We recommend that staff do not accompany a student off-campus e.g. to the A&E department. This potentially puts a member of staff in a position of risk. We would encourage staff to ask the student if there is anyone they would like to be contacted on their behalf e.g. a friend that could meet them at the hospital.

11. Students in distress

11.1 Staff are encouraged to refer to Section 6 of the Cause for Concern Policy and the Student in Distress (Appendix B) for guidance on how to proceed should an urgent or emergency situation arise.

11.2 A copy of the Student in Distress flowchart can also be found in the Cause for Concern policy and the University would encourage all staff to review this flow chart and always have this readily available to them.

12. Out of hours

12.1 If a crisis situation is identified out of hours, then normal routes of referral should be followed as appropriate. In the first instance, Campus Security (ext.3333), who operate a 24 hour service, should be informed so that they may guide the appropriate services (Police/Emergency Services) to the student. For further details, please refer to Section 6 of the Cause for Concern Policy.

13. Taking a break from study

13.1 If a student discloses, they need to take time off due to mental health they should be offered the following:

• Academic Advice and the impact the deferral may have on their study.
• Support to complete the deferral form or the details on an appropriate team who can support with this, to minimise delay.
• Put in touch with the Disability and Mental Health team so that a ‘break from study’ meeting can take place. This will include a member of the student advice team so that the financial implications of deferral can be discussed. This meeting will allow the student to be made aware of the support available at the University and they will be given the opportunity to complete the ‘break from study’ plan (Appendix E).

14. Return to study

14.1 To ensure that a supportive transition takes place for the student, following a break from study due to a mental health difficulty, a return meeting should be organised by academic staff.

14.2 The students personal tutor or other appropriate academic staff will reach out to the student no later than 1 month prior to them returning and invite them to a meeting (in person or remotely) with themselves and a member of the Wellbeing team.

14.3 The meeting would aim to:

• Establish how the student has been since deferral (this will allow any change in their mental health support or recovery to be raised such as hospital admission or mental health assessment).
• What the student feels they need for their return.
• Answer any academic questions the student has.

14.4 If needed, a follow-up appointment would be made with the Disability and Mental Health team to develop or review an ISP where needed.

14.5 If there are no concerns about the students return from either the student or staff, then the student will be provided with the date of when study may resume.

14.6 If a student is on their second deferral, and there are concerns around the student being ready to return, staff are to share concerns with the student to discuss options when appropriate. If the student feels that they are not ready to return based on their mental health, then a case should be made to the regulatory casework panel for extension consideration.

14.7 If the student feels that they are ready to return but there are still concerns for the mental health of the student, then the appropriate policies should be consulted, such as the Fitness to study policy and/or the Fitness to Practise.

15. Return to class following mental health assessment or hospital admission

15.1 On occasion a student will be in active study but due to their mental health difficulties will need to attend a mental health assessment (often at a local A&E), or in some cases may even spend some time away from study due to hospital admission.

15.2 Please refer to ‘Return to Study post Mental Health Difficulty’ flowchart (Appendix D) and the Fitness to Practise policy, in particular the ‘Reporting of Concerns’ (section 3).

16. University’s impact on other students and staff

16.1 Duty of care

16.1 The University has a duty of care to all staff and students. A balance should be found between the duty of care to a student with a mental health difficulty and the overall duty of care to staff and other students. At times, a student with a mental health difficult may present with behaviours which have an impact on others.

17. Students impacted by this behaviour

17.1.1 If students are finding another student’s behaviour distressing or challenging it is key that they speak with someone about this and the impact that it is having on them. Please see: Dealing with Unacceptable Behaviour Policy. Students are encouraged to speak with a member of their academic team, personal tutors/doctoral supervisors, or the Student Welfare team.

17.1.2 All students of the University have free access to a 24/7 online mental health and wellbeing platform TogetherAll. This provides students with a confidential space to talk to a community of users as well as participate in online modules to aid them in understanding their own mental health and wellbeing.

18. Staff members affected

18.1.1 If staff experience student behaviour which they find distressing, then they are encouraged to speak directly with their line manager about this situation.

18.1.2 Line Managers are encouraged to agree next steps, follow-up with the staff member and to adopt a flexible and empathetic approach to supporting the needs of the staff member which may include: release from duties or referral to the University Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

18.1.3 All staff at the University also have use of TogetherAll outlined in 17.1.2.

19. Unacceptable behaviour/code of conduct

19.1.1 It is key to remember that a student has the right to decline support, even on occasions where their behaviour may be impacting others. Depending on the circumstances, further action by the University may still need to be taken.

19.1.2 Where the behaviour of a student with mental health difficulties causes significant disturbance or distress to others, efforts will be made by the school or department to resolve such problems through discussion with the individual concerned regarding the negative impact of their behaviour on others. Please refer to Fitness to Study Regulations and/or Dealing with unacceptable behaviour guidelines.

19.1.3 If these efforts are unsuccessful, alternative strategies will be considered under the Student Code of Conduct.

20. Data protection and confidentiality

20.1 Every effort should be made to discuss with a student their preferences with regard to how their information is shared and with whom. The General Data Protection Regulation and University’s Data Protection Policy apply to the preferences of the student and may only be over-ridden if there is a significant risk of harm to self or others. Please refer UWL Data Protection Policy for further details.

21. Monitoring and review of the policy

21.1 The Director of Student Services is responsible for monitoring this policy on an annual basis.