WHAT IS THE CAMPAIGN?
Families of students in the UK who took their own lives are campaigning for the government to create a new legal duty of care for universities.
Currently a university has a duty of care to prevent harm to students caused through its own actions. The families would like a new legal duty of care that requires a university to also take action to try to prevent harm when on notice that a student is at risk.
The campaign says the mental health, safety and wellbeing of students should be a government priority.
The #ForThe100 campaign is trying to get 100,000 signatures to commit parliament to consider the proposal for debate.
The campaign name comes from the 100 students that the campaign estimates will die by suicide in the UK every year.
319 students died by suicide in England and Wales during the 2017-20 academic years.
When the petition reached 10,000 signatures the government responded saying: “Higher Education providers already have a general duty of care not to cause harm to their students through their own actions” and that “further legislation to create a statutory duty of care, where such a duty already exists, would be a disproportionate response.”
On 4 March the campaign held candlelight vigils in Bristol, Edinburgh, and London.
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Bristol was where 20-year-old Natasha Abrahart was studying when she took her own life in 2018. Natasha’s brother told me that she had been “failed” by the university that had made her sit an assessment that it knew was upsetting her and impacting her mental health. He also said the university had failed to pass on an email from Natasha to a member of staff that she was feeling suicidal.
Last year it was found that the university discriminated against Natasha by not making changes to take into account her social anxiety disorder.
Bristol university said: “Staff in the School of Physics were instrumental in helping Natasha to access appropriate professional support.” It also said “the efforts of colleagues included offering alternative options for Natasha’s assessments to alleviate the anxiety she faced about presenting her laboratory findings to her peers”.
Natasha Abrahart
Romily (Romy) Ulvestad was 21 when she took her own life in 2020 while a student at Edinburgh university. Romy’s brother told me that the university didn’t address the issues that his sister was showing and failed to contact her legal guardian.
Edinburgh university said: “Our own internal investigations identified gaps in the support we provided for Romily, and we are deeply sorry for this. It is important that we acknowledge and accept when there have been failings, as there was in this case. We have learned from these and continue to implement necessary changes”.
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Romy Ulvestad
We asked the UK Department for Education about the #ForThe100 campaign. A spokesperson told us: “There is a range of mental health support available, including Student Space, a free online service; better support for the transition to university; and improved partnership with the NHS so students don’t fall between services”.
“To better understand student suicide numbers, risk factors and inform preventative action, the Office for National Statistics is now publishing regular data analysis”.
“Our first ever Student Support Champion, Edward Peck, has been speaking to bereaved parents to understand where improvements can be made. We are also backing the Student Minds’ University Mental Health Charter, which supports a whole-university approach to mental health and wellbeing”.
Universities UK represents 140 universities. It told me that “It is for government to decide the legal framework within which universities operate, but it is essential that any additional duty does not result in unintended consequences for students and improves mental health outcomes and safety for all.”
The petition is currently at just over 80,000 signatures. It has until 19 March before it ends as petitions only run for six months.
Suicide is preventable. Organisations like Samaritans offer 24/7 support. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.