Colleges are calling for more mental health support for students through the government’s upcoming “children’s wellbeing bill” after a third reported at least one death by suicide in the past 12 months.
New research also found that three-quarters (75 per cent) of colleges each recorded more than five attempted suicides over the same period, while 30 per cent experienced between 10 and 14 attempted suicides, and 13 per cent reported over 30 attempts.
The alarming figures were revealed in the Association of Colleges’ 2024 mental health survey, released on World Suicide Prevention Day today.
It said: “One student death is too many, so to have evidence of at least 30 per cent of colleges in the truly devastating position of experiencing a student death by suicide, and the ripple effect throughout the college community, only strengthens the need to address this conversation with urgency.”
Leaders are now pleading for more support from new legislation that was promised in the King’s Speech amid fears the laws will only target school-aged children.
‘It’s a matter of life and death’
Jen Hope, AoC mental health lead and area director for the Midlands, said: “We are yet to see what the new children’s wellbeing bill involves for college students, but we urge the government to take these findings seriously and ensure that the appropriate level of support is provided to colleges, who are doing all they can with extremely limited resources.
“All too often the focus on mental health support from government is on schools, but our survey shows that college students deserve and need more support as well.”
Peter Mayhew-Smith, chief executive of South Thames Colleges Group and chair of the AoC mental health reference group, added: “This report makes it impossible for policy makers to look away from the issue, and clearly demonstrates that we need a much better strategic response. The forthcoming legislation must deliver a new system; it’s a matter of life and death.”
This year’s AoC’s annual mental health survey included responses from 71 colleges, which represents a third of all colleges in England.
The results showed that 90 per cent of colleges said there was either a significant or a slight increase in the disclosure of mental health issues among 16 to 18-year-olds, and 86 per cent said the same for students aged 19 and above.
Almost half (49 per cent) of colleges reported an average of up to 10 mental health-related A&E referrals within the previous year, but more than a quarter (28 per cent) reported more than 10 referrals.
Around 82 per cent of colleges cited home circumstances as the joint-highest influence on student mental health with social media, and 75 per cent cited the cost-of-living crisis and the energy crisis.
Mayhew-Smith said: “This data maps out the deep and wide chasm in student wellbeing, and shows that both the scale and severity of the mental health casework being dealt with by colleges across the country have risen. The data on suicide and suicide ideation, in particular, should cause the government and policymakers to sit up and think seriously about the resources colleges desperately need to support our young people.
“We have experienced many ‘global perma-crises’ as a society, and the findings show the shockwaves these events have sent through our young people, and the direct impact they have had on their lives.”
Significant investment in staff development
The data showed that counselling provision has changed with an increase in the use of external provision, from 36 per cent in 2023 to 58 per cent of colleges paying for the use of external counselling services in 2024.
The percentage of college-employed counsellors is slightly lower, dropping from 68 per cent to 63 per cent of colleges this year.
More colleges are also now engaged with their local mental health support team, with only 24 per cent currently not engaged, compared with 47 per cent last year.
And there has been a significant investment in staff development over the last 12 months, with 96 per cent of colleges training staff in mental health first aid, 70 per cent of colleges training staff in suicide first aid, and 79 per cent of colleges training staff in trauma-informed approaches.
But Weston College vice principal Ben Knocks is concerned that colleges across the country “simply do not have the budgets available to them to put in place the right levels of support”.
He said: “The pressure on colleges regarding student mental health is increasing year on year. The staff in our support services and within curriculum do an outstanding job ensuring our learners are safe and feel supported whilst they study with us.
“However, we simply do not have the resources we require or the referral points from outside agencies that guarantees that learners get the support they need and in a timely manner.”
DfE: We will fix our broken mental health services
The King’s Speech in July confirmed that Labour would introduce a children’s wellbeing bill that puts “children and their wellbeing at the centre of the education and children’s social care systems, and make changes so they are safe, healthy, happy and treated fairly”.
There are expected to be a raft of reforms targeted at schools and councils, but the King’s Speech documents included no mention of post-16 education.
Responding to AoC’s findings and demands, a government spokesperson said: “Every suicide is a tragedy, and World Suicide Prevention Day is an important reminder of why we need to take action.
“We will fix our broken mental health services. As part of our mission to reduce the lives lost to suicide, the 8,500 new mental health workers we will recruit will be specially trained to support people at risk.
“Our plans to put mental health support in every school and walk-in hubs in every community will help prevent mental health issues from becoming more serious.”
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