Mental health of students in higher education

College Report CR166undergraduates act as ‘parents’ for those newly arrived. Another importantsource of support is the personal tutor system. The 2008 MWBHE surveyshowed that about 80% of responding institutions had a personal tutorsystem in place. However, in institutions with deteriorating staff:studentratios, providing responsive and available personal advice at a departmentallevel can be challenging. The majority (71%) of the respondents to the 2008MWBHE survey rated their overall institutional provision as good or very goodand for a further 25% it was adequate. However, 4% felt that their provisionwas poor or non-existent. Survey comments suggested that ratings largelyreflected the quality of what was provided; many mentioned increasingpressure on their resources in terms, primarily, of student demand, but alsoinstitutional demand on specialist staff for training, guidance and healthpromotion events (Grant, 2011).Legislative and policy frameworkThis section summarises the key legislative background pertaining tothe widening access to higher education and to institutional responses tothe increasing burden of mental health difficulties encountered in highereducation. This is reviewed in association with emergent governmentalreports and policy documents. The responses of higher education institutionsto the legislation and governmental reports are evaluated. The resultantstrategic development and organisational framework of student servicedepartments in higher education to support students with mental healthproblems is also reviewed. The time frame concentrates primarily ondevelopments since the DDA came into force in 1995. The legal definitionof disability in the Act is that ‘a person has a disability … if he has a physicalor mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effecton his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’ (Part 1, Section 1).The legal definition of ‘student services’ in the Act is quite general. Inpractice, student services may comprise disability services and counsellingservices and may include a general practice. In larger institutions, theremay be more specialised personnel such as a mental health advisor, staff toadvise on financial and accommodation matters and, in some institutions,in-house psychiatric provision.Government policiesSince the Robbins Report was produced in the 1960s (Lord Robbins, 1963),recommending a huge expansion in the number of students admittedto higher education, there have been a number of key reports, inquiriesand legislative changes that have changed the landscape within highereducation, leading to a population of students that has changed in terms oftheir demographic characteristics, mental health status and disability. In the1960s, the student population was not representative of the population as awhole, nor is it today, but there is now a more substantial overlap.The legal framework broadly embraces the legislation pertaining todisability, discrimination and equality, data protection and human rights.Related and intertwined with the legislation are key government reports,NHS and higher education strategies as well as an understanding of duty ofcare issues, liability for negligence, and the duty to promote equality.34 http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk