New guidance issued to UK universities on suicide prevention

All students should have an ’emergency contact’, it is recommended


TW: suicide

The body that seeks to support the UK’s 140 universities has issued new advice to help institutions prevent student suicides.

Universities UK (UUK) says that unis should have a “trusted contact” on file for each student, and reach out to them without the student’s permission if their mental health is believed to be poor.

Whilst many universities already have an emergency contact system, the intervention is the first nationwide demand for safeguarding against student suicides.

The President of UUK says: “As a sector, we need to do everything we can to reduce the risk of suicide and serious self-harm”.

It follows campaigning by family members of those who have taken their own lives, who demand a more proactive approach to be adopted by the UK’s universities.

64 students are believed to have died from suicide in 2019-20, according to estimates from the Office for National Statistics. There are also calls from bereaved families for universities to publish official statistics on student suicide deaths.

The new guidance released by UUK and charity Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide encourages unis to “make every reasonable effort” to get a student’s permission to contact a loved one, but also says “there are some circumstances in which a university can and should share information with emergency services and with trusted contacts, even where they have not been able to secure consent”.

In full, Professor Steve West CBE, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of UWE Bristol, said: “There is nothing more devastating for a university community than a student death by suicide. As a sector, we need to do everything we can to reduce the risk of suicide and serious self-harm.

“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, riskbased decisions around involving trusted contacts.”

Ged Flynn, Chief Executive of PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide, said: “University life can be exciting, but also bewildering and frightening at times, especially when students are away from the familiar or the people and places which form part of their preferred or go-to support. 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 ensuring it is rarer still.

“The guidance includes case study examples of proactive work already underway across higher education to share information when there are serious concerns about a student’s safety or mental health. One of these case studies presents the ‘opt-in’ used at some universities. UUK suggests that universities may consider this model but also be aware of risks around students who choose not to opt-in, or opt-out later.”

If you or someone you know has been affected by this story, please speak to someone or contact Samaritans on 116 123 at any time. You can also contact Anxiety UK on 03444 775 774, Mind on 0300 123 3393, and Calm (Campaign against living miserably) on 0800 58 58 58. 

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