Student suicides petition to be debated by MPs

Parents - like Hilary Grime (right) are calling for universities to be more accountable for deaths of students, like that of her daughter Phoebe

A petition calling for a law change set up by a group of parents whose children killed themselves at university is due to be debated by MPs.

Campaigners from a movement called #ForThe100 are calling for universities to have a legal duty of care towards students.

A petition with more than 128,000 signatures was handed over at Downing Street in April.

A parliamentary debate is due to take place on 5 June.

Petitions on the UK Government site that pass the 100,000 mark are considered for debate in Parliament.

Hilary Grime, whose daughter Phoebe killed herself at the age of 20 while studying at Newcastle University, said campaigners were due to give evidence to the Petitions Committee at Portcullis House later, ahead of the debate.

"It's a massive opportunity," she said. "This is our chance to say how it is.

"It's been hard work; we've had to dig deep to talk about the stories of the children we have lost.

"It's been really tough but it's brilliant to have the support of people."

Natasha Abrahart's parents want legislation to protect other students

Other speakers at the event will include mental health campaigner Ben West, and Lee Fryatt from Hampshire, and Mark Shanahan from Oxford, both of whom lost their sons.

Other families from the #ForThe100 campaign will also be present, including Bob and Maggie Abrahart, from West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.

Their daughter Natasha killed herself in 2018, on the day she was due to take part in a group presentation in a 329-seat lecture theatre at the University of Bristol.

The 20-year-old's parents took legal action over the university's failure to make adjustments for her social anxiety disorder.

Although they won part of their case, the judge was not satisfied the university owed Natasha a duty of care, which is why the Abraharts want new legislation.

The duty of care the families are calling for would be the same that applies to employers to keep their staff safe at work.

Mr Abrahart said: "This campaign is about student safety and student rights. It is not about what time students go to bed.

"It is a duty to act, meaning that all reasonable steps must be taken to ensure that students are not harmed, either by the actions of an institution, or by a failure to act."

Mrs Abrahart said: "We believe the reason why change has been so slow is not because universities can't do more - it's because they don't have to.

"Up till now successive governments have trusted the sector to monitor and self-regulate its own practices.

"The Petitions Committee will be drawing together the written and oral evidence from multiple families of students from different universities.

"We hope that the debate will come to the same conclusion we have: that the current system is not working."

Phoebe killed herself while in the second year of a degree at Newcastle University

It would entail organisations providing educational and pastoral services to their students that would protect them from what is referred to in legal terms as "reasonably foreseeable harm" - a risk to their welfare that the university should have been aware of.

Charities Papyrus and Student Minds will also be present at the session.

A Student Minds spokesperson said: "Student suicide is a crucial and complex issue.

"We're glad to see this issue, and student mental health more broadly, is getting explored within this debate."

Other groups will include the National Union of Students and Universities UK, which represents institutions across the country.

A Universities UK spokesperson said: "Universities prioritise the mental health of students and staff and are particularly focused on preventing student suicide.

"Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy and we are committed to working with bereaved families to learn from these deaths.

"Record numbers of children and young adults are now experiencing poor mental health and this is reflected in growing student need.

"Although universities are investing in student support and developing partnerships with NHS services, their primary role is as settings for adult learning not health care.

"We do not believe the proposed additional statutory duty of care, beyond the existing duties that already apply to universities, would be practical, proportionate, or the best approach to supporting students."

The evidence session will begin at 15:30 BST. It will be broadcast on ParliamentLive.TV and is open to the public.

The Petitions Committee is a group of MPs who consider e-petitions submitted on Parliament's petitions website.

The committee has 11 members from a cross-section of political parties.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can find details of organisations that can help via the BBC Action Line.