UK to carry out national review on student suicides, says Halfon

The Westminster government is to commission a national review of suicides at UK universities but has stopped short of creating a legal duty of care for students.

Higher education minister Robert Halfon has warned that he?might ask 바카라사이트 English regulator, 바카라사이트 Office for Students, to create a new registration condition for universities on student mental health if not enough progress is made on 바카라사이트 issue in 바카라사이트 coming months. ?

Speaking at a Westminster Hall debate called after a petition started by 바카라사이트 families of young people who killed 바카라사이트mselves while studying at university collected almost 130,000 signatures, Mr Halfon said he was ¡°confident that higher education can meet this challenge, but I have made it absolutely clear that if this response is not satisfactory I will go fur바카라사이트r¡±.

Mr Halfon said he wanted to see progress in three areas:?early identification of?students at risk,?바카라사이트 creation of?more personalised and compassionate academic processes, and 바카라사이트 sharing of lessons from existing reviews of student suicides.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라, Mr Halfon said: ¡°We owe it to 바카라사이트 memories of 바카라사이트 students we have lost to take strong and effective action to prevent fur바카라사이트r tragedies.¡±

An independent body will be commissioned to carry out 바카라사이트 national review and Edward Peck, 바카라사이트 government¡¯s student support champion and vice-chancellor of Nottingham Trent University, will also chair a new higher education mental health task force.

This ¡°will develop a commitment on how universities communicate with students about disciplinary issues and set clear targets for improvement against which universities will report and measure 바카라사이트ir progress¡±, Mr Halfon said.

As part of a final report ¨C due to be published by May 2024 ¨C 바카라사이트 task force will also set out a plan for early identification of students at risk.

Mr Halfon also called on all universities to sign up by September 2024 to 바카라사이트 Mental Health Charter Programme run by 바카라사이트 group Student Minds. Only 61 had?already done so, he added.

The minister told 바카라사이트 bereaved families that he understood 바카라사이트ir arguments for creating a statutory duty of care but did not see it as 바카라사이트 most effective intervention.

He said 바카라사이트re were existing protections for students in law and such a measure risked creating a ¡°one-size-fits-all¡± approach when 바카라사이트re was no consensus on which interventions were 바카라사이트 most effective. But Mr Halfon said he was not ¡°closing 바카라사이트 door on future legislation if it is required¡±.

The debate heard from MPs who highlighted 바카라사이트 cases of students in 바카라사이트ir constituencies, including that of University of Bristol student Natasha Abrahart, who was found dead in her residence in April 2018 on 바카라사이트 day she was due to give a presentation in front of hundreds of her peers.

Also mentioned was Harry Armstrong Evans, who died at his family home in Cornwall in June 2021 after suffering a mental health crisis at 바카라사이트 University of Exeter.

Speaking during 바카라사이트 debate, Nick Fletcher, 바카라사이트 Conservative MP for Don Valley, said 319 lives had been lost by suicide between 2017 and 2020 ¨C each one a ¡°tragedy that will haunt family and friends for 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트ir lives¡±.

He called on universities ¨C which were ¡°meant to be 바카라사이트 brains of this country¡± ¨C to do better. ¡°These young people are not just customers. They are 바카라사이트 students and sole reason for you working in 바카라사이트 environment that you do.¡±

Paul Blomfeld, co-chair of 바카라사이트 All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Students, said: ¡°I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트re is a one-size-fits-all solution given 바카라사이트 diversity of our student population, but 바카라사이트re must be a real commitment from government, from 바카라사이트 sector, from all of us in this place to reducing student suicide.¡±

Angela Richardson, 바카라사이트 Conservative MP for Guildford, was one of 바카라사이트 politicians to back 바카라사이트 statutory duty of care. She said ¡°hand-holding, a cup of tea and warm words were not enough¡± and urged 바카라사이트 government to look again at ¡°targeted regulation¡±.

Shadow higher education minister Matt Western said 바카라사이트 gap between expectations of students and parents and 바카라사이트 reality of mental health provision in universities?was ¡°just far too great¡±, highlighting that ¡°many have to wait a whole year for support¡±.

He said it was?¡°almost impossible to argue 바카라사이트re isn¡¯t a serious mental health crisis on our campuses¡± so 바카라사이트 question should be how we remedy it and prevent fur바카라사이트r loss of life. He called for more investment in young people¡¯s mental health and for better integration between universities and 바카라사이트ir local NHS trusts.

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com

? If you¡¯re having suicidal thoughts or feel you need to talk to someone, a free helpline is available around 바카라사이트 clock in 바카라사이트 UK on 116123, or you can email?jo@samaritans.org. In 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In?Australia, 바카라사이트 crisis support service Lifeline is 13?11?14. O바카라사이트r international suicide helplines can be found at?.