Solent launches its Vision for Mental Health and Wellbeing

“I am pleased to announce Solent University is launching a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Vision.

This marks an extremely important day for us, because prioritising the mental health and wellbeing of our students and staff is absolutely central to the work we do.

The vision is a new, whole-University approach, aimed at ensuring everyone is supported to thrive, succeed and achieve their potential.

It has been built around the Universities UK StepChange framework, further developed with stakeholders right across the University, and is underpinned by a three-year implementation plan.

This starts with today’s World Mental Health Day launch – a day of events and activities to raise awareness of the vision, and the commitment being made by our leadership team to ensure everyone at Solent is aware of their responsibilities around the mental health and wellbeing of our people.

The launch follows a programme of training that has taken place over the summer to ensure our colleagues are in the best possible position to provide advice and support where needed:

• Our front-of-house student advisers and managers, and our Student Peer Mentors, have undertaken a two-day training course, qualifying as Mental Health First Aiders.
• Our front-of-house student advisers have undertaken a two-day workshop in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).
• Our front-of-house student advisers have undertaken sexual abuse awareness training.

We also have a range of further training programmes planned to continue to strengthen our mental health staff resource over the coming academic year.

In addition, Solent is working with the Student Minds charity around the development of their new Mental Health Charter, and their Comic Relief funded men’s mental health initiative, which is working to improve the wellbeing outcomes of male students.

I am extremely proud of the investment we are making in the mental health and wellbeing of our staff and students here at Solent and look forward to sharing more about the progress we have made and our ongoing work to deliver positive change.”

Find out more about Solent’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Vision here.