Higher Education Providers' Policies and Practices to Support Student Mental Health. Technical Report

N

57

Higher Education; School Policy; Educational Practices; College Students; Mental Health; Well Being; Suicide; Prevention; Services; Foreign Countries; Geographic Regions; Institutional Characteristics; Postsecondary Education; Student Characteristics; Professional Development

978-1-83870-516-9

The Department for Education (DfE) commissioned IFF Research to undertake a survey and qualitative follow-up of HE providers to understand the range of institutional policies and practices they use to support student mental health and wellbeing. Questions in this study centred around the extent to which providers have adopted mental health and wellbeing at a strategic level, the practices adopted by HE providers in supporting students' mental health, well-being, and suicide prevention and how these are designed and evaluated. This study builds upon DfE research in 2019/20 which provided an indepth study of HE institutions' approaches to supporting students, including the range of services provided. All eligible HE providers in England were invited to take part in a 20-minute survey about their strategies, policies, and practices to support student mental health, wellbeing, and suicide prevention. All OfS registered HE providers in Spring 2022 were in scope for the research. The DfE emailed an introductory letter to eligible HE providers at the start of May 2022, in advance of the survey invitation from IFF Research, in order to alert them about the research and emphasise the importance of taking part. Fieldwork took place between 11th May and 27th July 2022. The in-scope population consisted of 133 HEIs, 157 FECs and 109 Private Providers. Most surveys were completed online (161) with a small number (18) completed over the phone using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI), following a short chasing exercise. The survey questionnaire covered a range of areas related to the research objectives, from roles and responsibilities to strategic development, existing practices and services and overall service reflections. It was developed in collaboration with DfE and key stakeholders including the Office for Students (OfS), Universities UK (UUK), Student Minds, and a small number of university contacts sourced through the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education (AMOSSHE). The questionnaire development was also informed by a cognitive testing phase across HEIs, FECs and Private Providers. This involved six cognitive interviews, during April 2022. Contact information was sourced through a combination of desk research and available DfE databases under the appropriate data protection and GDPR permissions.

ERIC

2024

ED649950