Student Minds has built a strong reputation under Tressler’s leadership over the last three years, growing from a grassroots network to winning ministerial backing to establishing a national Mental Health Charter. It is working very closely on UUK’s Step Change pilots at UWE, Cardiff and York, establishing a robust model for mental health provision, which can be rolled out nationally. It is setting up a major programme on male mental health and is working with DfE on smoothing the transition students face in their first year.
But Student Minds’ strength remains its ground-up approach in building partnerships and campaigns in connecting students; accommodation providers; estates teams; students’ unions; faculties and departments; and student services. It’s a huge step forward and these issues are now in mainstream debate.
Ten student deaths by suicide in 18 months at Bristol generated sustained public debate over the extent universities are “in loco parentis” with DfE floating if they should share information on students mental health with parents or guardians. And massive structural challenges remain – historic underinvestment in NHS, the lack of integration between students’ home and university GP practices, and the estrangement between adolescent and adult mental health services. Student Minds has never been so needed.