University Mental Health Charter
Falmouth University is delighted to be the first and only specialist creative arts institution to achieve the University Mental Health Charter Award, a national accreditation recognising sector-leading mental health and wellbeing support for students.
The University Mental Health Charter (UMHC) was developed by Student Minds, a student mental health charity, alongside students and staff from over 180 universities and organisations. It offers a framework for promoting best practice on taking a university-wide approach to the mental health and wellbeing of the entire university community – recognising what a university is doing well and where there is room to improve, then planning and taking action to make those improvements.
“We are incredibly proud that the support we provide for our students and staff has been recognised with the University Mental Health Charter Award. It is also an endorsement of the dedication, care and creativity of our entire community in putting student and staff wellbeing at the heart of what we do."
- Professor Emma Hunt, Vice Chancellor, Falmouth University
University Mental Health Charter
Why is it important?
We aim to provide the best possible environment where everyone can thrive, embodied by a culture that promotes and supports positive mental health. We have signed up to this voluntary Charter to help our university community; to ensure we continue to provide support that is proactive as well as ready to react, to help students and staff to develop insight, understanding and skills to manage and maintain their own wellbeing and to embed the right culture for talking about and addressing mental health concerns in our community.
"The University Mental Health Charter Framework is a set of evidence-informed principles to support universities to adopt a whole-university approach to mental health and wellbeing."
- University Mental Health Charter website
See what support is available to Falmouth students on our Mental Health and Wellbeing pages.
Mental Health and Wellbeing - Our Commitment
We believe that encouraging positive student mental health and wellbeing is an essential component of the learning environment for the next generation of creative leaders and explorers, who will change the world through their curious minds, creative impact, and unique skillsets.
We support our staff in recognising and responding to the needs of students, of colleagues and themselves, to reinforce the importance of good mental health and wellbeing across the whole University community.
Our Values support us in creating an environment where all can thrive, seeking creative ways to address challenges, knowing that achieving success looks different for everyone, listening and respecting those different experiences and sharing learning and best practice to deliver the right services and solutions for students and staff.
Adopting a proactive and comprehensive whole University approach to promote wellbeing and address mental health is crucial for creating a supportive environment for students and staff. This approach also includes prevention and early intervention strategies, support services as well as training and education to increase mental health literacy.
We will support all students and staff to maintain positive mental health and reach their full potential, making reasonable adjustments for those with mental health conditions.
Mental Health and Wellbeing - Our Approach
The mental health and wellbeing of our people is a priority for the University. Therefore, with energy and commitment, we are driving cultural change and introducing new initiatives to develop and maintain a supportive and compassionate environment where everyone can achieve.
- Emma Hunt, Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive
Our students are the next generation of creative leaders and explorers who will change the world through their curious minds, creative impact, and unique skillsets. They will experience a learning environment at Falmouth that has been created with their mental health and wellbeing at its foundation.
Our staff, across all roles at the University, recognise the vital importance of good mental health and wellbeing for the whole university community. Staff are supported in understanding and looking after their own mental health as well as that of others.
We all work together to promote wellbeing; to prevent mental ill-health wherever possible; to respond to concerns early; to ensure that those who experience mental ill-health are well supported, and to minimise the adverse effects of mental ill-health on university life.
Our values guide everything we do at Falmouth:
CREATIVE: Knowing that creativity is the vanguard of progress, we’re constantly seeking new ways of thinking, doing, and creating. We will creatively seek ways to make our university a place where all can thrive, removing barriers and providing appropriate, effective support.
ACHIEVE: We value the pursuit of excellence and enrichment as a collective aspiration to be the very best we can be. Recognising that for every individual this will look different, and that difference is what makes us unique.
RESPECTFUL: We have an open mind, we respect differing views, we listen and enable, and we work towards an equitable and diverse world. The foundation and reference point for our Mental Health and Wellbeing policy.
SHARING: We collaborate and share knowledge to co-create a positive impact. Acknowledging that our creative problem-solving strength will lead us to discover solutions to universally faced challenges we will proactively share these solutions with the HE sector and beyond.
A whole University approach to mental health & wellbeing
...a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to her or his community.
- World Health Organisation definition of mental health
Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy promotes mental wellness of the whole population, acknowledging the impact of the University environment, culture, community, and day-to-day activities on mental health, while providing targeted support for those with complex mental health needs.
Mental health conditions present as a wide spectrum of behaviours that rarely have a linear progression and may be symptomatic of multiple issues from financial, personal, logistical, or medical, to even more complex contributing factors.
Evidence shows students experiencing poor mental health are more likely to withdraw from university, to underperform academically and are less likely to progress to higher level employment or postgraduate study (Office for Students, 2019). Good mental health and wellbeing at university has been associated with enhanced concentration, creativity, academic performance, and extra-curricular engagement (Hughes et al., 2022).
We support students and staff to reach their full potential, making reasonable adjustments for those with mental health conditions as part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion under the Equality Act 2010.
Taking positive action
To establish, promote and maintain the good mental health and wellbeing of our University community we implement effective and evidence-based provision, practices, and procedures to:
- Build and maintain a University environment and culture that promotes positive mental health and wellbeing.
- Recognise and address sources of distress within the University culture and environment.
- Increase student and staff knowledge and awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues and services.
- Support students and staff who are experiencing mental health challenges.
- Facilitate students to actively participate in a range of proactive initiatives that support and promote mental health and wellbeing.
