University duty of care campaign to be debated after suicides

Jacquie Shanahan (second from right) was among parents who took the petition to Downing Street

A campaign for better support for university students, backed by a bereaved father, will be debated in parliament later.

Mark Shanahan, a lecturer from Abingdon in Oxfordshire, lost his son Rory to suicide in 2018 while he was at university in Sheffield.

He is one of many calling for universities to have a legal duty of care for their students.

The #ForThe100 campaign has hit 100,000 signatures, triggering the debate.

The petition stated the mental health, safety and wellbeing of students should be a "government priority".

Mr Shanahan called the lack of a statutory duty of care an "anomaly".

Rory Shanahan took his own life while studying for his degree

He said: "It exists in the workplace, it exists in further education; but students are left without this support and we've seen at the very sharpest end where it goes wrong.

"Having a legal underpinning puts a stake in the ground with the law and it means the culture for supporting universities is driven by that law."

Dominic Smithies, influencing and advocacy lead at mental health charity Student Minds, said: "There is definitely a need to clarify what the priorities are when it comes to being able to hold universities accountable so that students feel safe and their families feel that they are safe."

In a survey conducted by the organisation in February, one in three students reported having poor mental wellbeing, and a quarter said they have a current, diagnosed mental health issue.

However, Steve West, president of Universities UK, the industry body that represents universities across the country, said while he welcomed the debate, a legal duty of care was not the way forward.

In a statement, the Department for Education said: "We believe the best way to protect students is through calling on the sector to fully implement evidence-based practice and funding vital services such as the free Student Space website."

The department added it will be working with bereaved parents to find areas for improvement and further plans should be explained by the minister later.

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