Universities are being urged to introduce proactive measures to help prevent student suicides. This includes making it mandatory for students to name a trusted contact, who can be contacted without their permission in emergency situations, when they register at university.
The new guidance has been issued by Universities UK (UUK) in partnership with the Papyrus suicide prevention charity. It 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. Students should be asked when registering at university if their trusted contacts, such as parents, can be contacted without their agreement in situations where there are serious concerns about their safety or mental health.
The new recommendations also state 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”. UUK said there should also be “check-ins” at the beginning of each new academic year for students.
Universities are also being urged to review their suicide prevention plans and policies to keep students safe, working closely with NHS services. Professor Steve West, UUK president and vice-chancellor of the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol, said the sector must do “everything we can to reduce the risk of suicide and serious self-harm”.
He said: “Universities are committed to putting students who may be in difficulty at the centre of decisions about their care – including who they want involved. But this commitment must be balanced with a duty to protect a student when there are serious concerns about their safety and welfare.
“Universities can help save lives when they adopt a proactive response to suicide prevention, and an important part of that proactive response is making proportionate, risk-based decisions around involving trusted contacts.”
Ged Flynn, chief executive of Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide, said: “Students have a right to think we always have their best interests at heart. This guidance aids the discernment of when to put those best interests at the forefront of decisions on sharing information when emotional crises may loom larger.
“Suicide in university populations is relatively rare but can devastate a community when it happens. Together, aided by this guidance, we can all play our part to ensure it is rarer still.”
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