Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to on-campus counselling for students at Universities in England.

The department is working closely with Universities UK (UUK) on the ongoing programme of work on Mental Health in Higher Education. UUK has worked in partnership with the Institute for Public Policy Research to strengthen the evidence-base on mental health in higher education and launched their Step Change programme on 4 September 2017. The Step Change framework offers detailed guidance to Higher Education Institutions, including a strategy checklist for university leaders

(http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/stepchange/Pages/checklist.aspx).

The Children and Young People’s Mental Health green paper, open for consultation until 2 March, outlines government’s plans to set up a new national strategic partnership focused on improving the mental health of 16-25 year olds, encouraging more coordinated action, experimentation and robust evaluation of mental health services. The green paper also includes a proposal to encourage local coalitions between tertiary education providers, local authorities, and health and care commissioners and providers.

In addition, the Higher Education Funding Council for England Catalyst Fund commits up to £30 million funding per year for collaborative projects that drive innovation in the higher education sector, enhance excellence and efficiency in higher education and support innovative solutions. For example, a project led by the University of the West of England with UUK, Cardiff University, York University and Student Minds will raise the importance of mental wellbeing in the sector.