UCEA sits on the advisory group of Mind’s pilot programme, Mentally Healthy Universities (MHU), a two-year pilot programme launched in September 2019 in partnership with Goldman Sachs Gives. Mind worked with nine local Mind and HEI partnerships to deliver a programme of activity to improve both staff and student wellbeing. Mind only operates across England and Wales, therefore the programme did not extend to Scotland or Northern Ireland. The programme aligned with UUK’s StepChange framework as well as the University Mental Health Charter being developed by Student Minds. As part of the programme students had the opportunity to take part in sessions on wellbeing essentials, managing their mental health at university, and transitioning into the workplace, while staff were supported to set up a network of Staff Mental Health Champions and Mental Health Peer Supporters.
Mind also worked with each pilot HEI employer to help them meet the Mental Health at Work Commitment. Building on the insights and learning from the pilot Mind has published the Mental Health at Work Commitment Guide for the HE Sector. The content of the guide is wide-ranging and each of the six standards relevant to the Mental Health at Work Commitment are explored in detail within an HE context. The guide includes individual case studies relating to each of the pilot HEIs.
Over the two years of the MHU pilot programme Mind has recruited and trained over 450 Staff Mental Health Champions and over 2,500 students have attended the workshops. The findings from the final evaluation report were positive with nearly 90% of students saying they had a better understanding of mental health problems and wellbeing, that they were more confident in looking after their mental health, and that they were more aware of mental health in the workplace. University staff rated the two Mind staff courses highly and 93% of attendees said they would recommend them to a colleague.
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Page updated 16 August 2021
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