Mental health guide for placement students

New guidance on what universities can do to better support students with their mental health while on placements has been issued by Universities UK (UUK).

The new checklist outlines how colleagues can prepare students throughout all stages of placements, support them during different types of placement and help them when they return to academic study.

The guidance was contributed to by the placement team in Careers, with the support of colleagues in Welfare and a range of schools and departments, following engagement with Positive Changes in Placements – a charity that campaigns for universities to strengthen suicide-prevention strategies and which also contributed to the checklist.

Examples of how Reading is already supporting placement students are included as a case study on the UUK website. These examples include providing students with placement care cards, workshops and remote appointments with the University’s welfare team.

Students carrying out placements during their studies experience significant change, including new settings, challenges and colleagues and additional costs.

There is therefore a risk that this transition can negatively affect students’ wellbeing, and also their ability to access support.

The new UUK guidance builds on the Suicide-safer guide published by UUK and PAPYRUS, the UK’s national charity on preventing young suicide.

Find out more and download the checklist from the UUK website.