Mental health – do your staff and students ask for support?

A recent survey carried out by the Equality Challenge Unit identified that many staff and students are not asking for the help and support they need, often because of the stigma surrounding mental health or the risk of receiving unfair treatment. How has your organisation created a culture where staff and students are happy to disclose?

Seeking support can have real benefits in helping students meet their course requirements or manage their workload efficiently. But many do not disclose, often because of a fear of how others will react. Yet the survey carried out by the Equality Challenge Unit found that the majority of people who tell staff or fellow students receive a supportive or very supportive response. 

Updated guidance on student mental health and wellbeing has been launched by the Mental Wellbeing in Higher Education Working Group and Universities UK. This guidance was commissioned by Universities UK and draws on evidence and practice from within the higher education sector. It is aimed at senior leaders and managers, to support institutions in their promotion of mental wellbeing and in the support they provide for students experiencing mental health difficulties. Although focused on HE, it will also be of relevance for the FE sector. 

You can download the guidance here

‘Supporting students with mental health difficulties’ is one of my most popular training courses. It is likely that at least three students in a class of 30 will have a mental health difficulty. You can download publicity for this course here

In March of last year I reported that many equality information reports published on websites revealed a worrying figure for the number of disabled staff – between 2% and 6% on average. Since 20% of people of working age are covered by the definition of a disabled person, this is a significant equality ‘gap’, and a key equality objective for your organisation to address. The gap is created in part by underrepresentation but also by under disclosure; staff with mental health difficulties who are fearful of disclosing will contribute to this. I also reported on actions to take to help address this issue.

You can access this equality news update here