Student Mental Health Agreement

Universities and colleges across Scotland participate in creating their Student Mental Health Agreements, in partnership with their Student Unions and Associations. In collaboration with students, these agreements form the basis of how whole institutions will approach student mental health and wellbeing over a two-year period.  

The Steering Group are delighted to present the Student Mental Health Agreement for 2022-2024! The Steering Group is made up of members of the Students’ Association and the University, ensuring that this project is a true partnership. Members from the Students Association include: Caitlin Ridgway, Director of Wellbeing & Equality; Grace Greene, Student Health Officer; and Holly McDonald, Wellbeing and Equality Co-ordinator. Members from the University include: Rosalyn Claase, Director of Student Experience; Joely Nicol, Mental Health Development Trainee; Adam Welstead, Mental Health Development Trainee.   

At the start of 2022, we surveyed students about the areas of wellbeing that are most important to them, and what they would like to change at the University and Students’ Association to help improve mental health and wellbeing. These responses and findings from other surveys, like the Thriving Learners survey conducted last year, helped shape our thinking when we created the four priority areas for this agreement.

Read the full agreement here.

Some projects under the four priority areas we commit to working on are:

Improving awareness of and access to support services
  • Improve publicity on existing support services
  • Work to expand the Cultural Prescriptions and Saints Wellbeing projects
  • Campaign to expand access to sexual health testing in St Andrews
  • Campaign for better NHS mental health and crisis services in St Andrews
Promoting academic wellbeing
  • Partner with the Proctor's Office to ensure that academic policies and procedures are straightforward and easily accessible
  • Begin work to tackle mental health stigma in academic Schools, with a view to creating a whole University approach.
  • Expand upon the Students' Association and University's free revision and deadline week activities.
  • Improve awareness of support available for academic issues
Supporting our diverse community
  • Work with student groups to improve the University’s response to and prevent hate incidents
  • Continue campaigns around spiking and other forms of gender-based violence
  • Promote and support peer support communities in the Students’ Association (BAME SN, DSN, LGBT+, Lifers)
  • Work with Student Services to identify and map external referral services which could partner with Student Services to give the most appropriate support
Creating rewarding wellbeing training opportunities
  • Streamline existing workshops and development activities to make them easier for students to access
  • Redevelop Got Limits
  • Bring in more opportunities for higher level training
  • Continue to develop new workshops and training opportunities to improve awareness of health and wellbeing

We are currently working on an Action Plan for the agreement which we will publish here in due course. If you would like to find out more, please contact the DoWell ([email protected]) or the Wellbeing & Equality Co-ordinator ([email protected]). If you would like support for your mental health, you can access this guide, or you can book an appointment with Student Services.