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