25 Living Black at University Commission Report 2022/23 24 Living Black at University Commission Report 2022/23 2.2 RECOMMENDATION 7 Universities and accommodation providers should collaborate to ensure mental health and wellbeing support is available, accessible and appropriate for Black students. Identified issues • Black students are less likely to report concerns about, or access support services for, mental health despite recording lower scores on wellbeing • Poor mental health is often stigmatised in Black communities and cultures, creating a barrier for Black students in seeking help • Black students have often experienced racism in educational settings from an early age, meaning that by the time they reach university there is already an ingrained lack of trust in support services • University support services are predominantly staffed by White professionals, whose understanding of and approach to mental health is White-centric • Black students feel safer using informal Black-only student support systems, but supporting others’ mental health is in turn is fuelling burnout among Black students Commission actions • Write to Professor Edward Peck, the Department for Education’s first Higher Education Student Support Champion, to highlight the need for inclusive practice and cultural competence within student support services • Create a toolkit to help accommodation teams support Black students’ mental health Good practice tips Andy Owusu, former Office for Students (OfS) Mental Health Project Officer for Black Students at London South Bank University : • Building a physical presence for Black mental health services on campus during the arrival period is important, as it highlights and normalises the service • University lecturers can be useful for signposting to university welfare services, as they are a visible point of contact for students • A scheme that matches students with a support service staff member of the same ethnicity can support Black students to feel more comfortable about approaching these services • Student confidence in positive outcomes can be built by displaying testimonials on the support service’s website and social media channels • Universities should co-create relevant, tailored resources with students which cover topics that are specific to Black students, including those who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or have a disability Dr Nkasi Stoll, Co-Founder of Black People Talk : • Universities should have procedures in place to check in on students who regularly miss classes, to make sure that this isn’t a manifestation of poor mental health and wellbeing • Universities and accommodation providers should signpost to specialist, culturally relevant mental health resources on their websites Self-assessment questions How does the ethnic make-up of your organisation’s support team compare to your student population? What percentage of Black students access your organisation’s support services compared to White students? Does your organisation offer any tailored wellbeing support or resources to Black students, and were these resources created in consultation with Black students? How do you signpost students to this support online and in-person? Funded by the Office for Students, London South Bank University (LSBU) ran the Black Students Mental Health Project, working with Black students to understand their views on and experiences of mental health and related services in order to build services and resources that were culturally competent. Concluding in June 2023, the methodology, learnings and outcomes of this ground-breaking project have been shared in a case study on the Office for Students website. A bank of resources co-created with Black students at LSBU has been shared on the NHS-approved Good Thinking website for wider use within the student population. Andy Owusu Former Office for Students Mental Health Project Officer for Black Students at London South Bank University 2.3 CASE STUDY: LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY