Statistics of number of parents / nominated persons contacted by university regarding student mental wellbeing.

The request was successful.

Dear University of Wales Trinity St David,
Following a spate of sudden student deaths in 2018, an ‘opt-in scheme’ was pioneered by the University of Bristol as part of a set of measures aimed at preventing suicide. In 2019, a coroner wrote to the Department for Education and Minister for Suicide Prevention suggesting that these measures might be shared throughout the sector. I am now seeking to establish the extent to which ‘opt-in’ has been subsequently adopted and/or utilised.
The ‘opt-in’ or ‘consent at registration’ scheme implemented by Bristol University comprises an additional personal information sharing agreement that supplements when information might be shared. It gains consent at annual registration for the university to contact a ’safe and nominated’ parent, guardian or friend in situations that are not emergencies, but where staff have serious concerns that something bad might happen to an enrolled student, and/or where their health, wellbeing or welfare could be affected. Essentially it involves lowering the bar at which parents or nominated others could be contacted by a designated professional at the university, from ‘vital interests’ to ‘serious or significant concerns’. It could for example apply in cases of trauma or distress associated with suspension / expulsion / non-attendance / mental health issues etc.
To qualify as ‘opt-in’ a scheme must be optional and additional to the regular emergency contact protocol. The latter is compulsory and typically restricted to serious incidents and/or emergency situations, that may present an imminent threat to a student’s vital interests. Further particulars can be found at:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/contacting-peop...
https://thetab.com/uk/2018/09/20/these-a...
https://thetab.com/uk/bristol/2019/10/31...
This important scheme has been implemented at a number of universities, and perhaps at your institution as well. If so, please provide me with the following information as absolute numbers and percentages.
For each academic period (2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21) and year-of-study (e.g. 1st year, 2nd year, 3rd year) sub-division:
• How many students opted-in at registration?
• How many students subsequently rescinded their consent?
• How many times was the opt-in consent used to contact somebody?
• How many times was use of the opt-in consent considered, but with you deliberately choosing not to contact a parent or nominated individual?

Yours faithfully,

Gillian Green

Paul Osborne, University of Wales Trinity St David

Dear Gillian ,

 

Thank you for your freedom of information request received by this office
on 10^th March 2021. Please be aware that all freedom of information
requests place some degree of demand on the University's resources in
terms of costs and staff time and that currently UWTSD may need to
prioritise resources to other areas, or adapt its usual approach to
information governance work, in order to meet the unprecedented challenges
we are all facing during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

 

Therefore, we need to advise you that you may experience a delay in
receiving a response to information rights requests during the Coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic.

 

Thank you for your understanding.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 Paul Osborne BSocSc(Hons) LLM, Solicitor

Swyddog Diogelu Data / Data Protection Officer

Campws Busnes Abertawe SA1 1NE Cymru DU/ Swansea Business Campus, SA1 1NE,
Wales, UK

Llinell Uniongyrchol / Direct Line: [1]01792 481180

e-bost / e-mail: [2][email address]

 

 

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/tel:01792%20481180
2. mailto:[email address]

Dear Paul Osborne,

I am writing to remind you of my FOI request which should have been answered by now.
I understand that times are difficult, so this is just a polite reminder.

Yours sincerely,

Gillian Green

Paul Osborne, University of Wales Trinity St David

7 Attachments

 

 

Dear Gillian,

 

Thank you for your freedom of information request as received by this
University on 11^th March 2021 and please accept my apologies for the
slight delay in this response as beneath in red narrative.

 

 

Following a spate of sudden student deaths in 2018, an ‘opt-in scheme’ was
pioneered by the University of Bristol as part of a set of measures aimed
at preventing suicide. In 2019, a coroner wrote to the Department for
Education and Minister for Suicide Prevention suggesting that these
measures might be shared throughout the sector. I am now seeking to
establish the extent to which ‘opt-in’ has been subsequently adopted
and/or utilised.

 

The ‘opt-in’ or ‘consent at registration’ scheme implemented by Bristol
University comprises an additional personal information sharing agreement
that supplements when information might be shared. It gains consent at
annual registration for the university to contact a ’safe and nominated’
parent, guardian or friend in situations that are not emergencies, but
where staff have serious concerns that something bad might happen to an
enrolled student, and/or where their health, wellbeing or welfare could be
affected. Essentially it involves lowering the bar at which parents or
nominated others could be contacted by a designated professional at the
university, from ‘vital interests’ to ‘serious or significant concerns’.
It could for example apply in cases of trauma or distress associated with
suspension / expulsion / non-attendance / mental health issues etc.

 

To qualify as ‘opt-in’ a scheme must be optional and additional to the
regular emergency contact protocol. The latter is compulsory and typically
restricted to serious incidents and/or emergency situations, that may
present an imminent threat to a student’s vital interests. Further
particulars can be found at:

 

[1]https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

[2]https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

[3]https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

This important scheme has been implemented at a number of universities,
and perhaps at your institution as well. If so, please provide me with the
following information as absolute numbers and percentages.

 

For each academic period (2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21) and year-of-study
(e.g. 1st year, 2nd year, 3rd year) sub-division:  The University does not
currently operate the “opt in” / “consent at registration” scheme –
although students can change their emergency contact details on-line at
any time, including the provision of consent as stated above.

 

•       How many students opted-in at registration?

 

•       How many students subsequently rescinded their consent?

 

•       How many times was the opt-in consent used to contact somebody?

 

•       How many times was use of the opt-in consent considered, but with
you deliberately choosing not to contact a parent or nominated individual?

 

You may request a review of the information contained within this freedom
of information response from my colleague Lee Bartlett
([4][email address]) If you remain dissatisfied following the
review you may appeal to the Information Commissioner at ico.org.uk.
Alternatively, you may write to the ICO at:

 

Head Office

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a
national rate number

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Paul Osborne   BSocSc(Hons) LLM,
Solicitor                                                                                                            

Swyddog Diogelu Data   /  Data Protection Officer

Campws Busnes Abertawe SA1 1NE Cymru DU/ Swansea Business Campus, SA1 1NE,
Wales, UK

Llinell Uniongyrchol / Direct Line: 01792
481180                                               

e-bost / e-mail: [5][email address]

 

[6]Graphical user interface, application, website Description
automatically generated

     

   

Rydym yn croesawu gohebiath [7][IMG][8][IMG][9][IMG][10][IMG][11][IMG]
yn Gymraeg a Saesneg.
We welcome correspondence in
Welsh and English.

 

 

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
2. https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
3. https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
4. mailto:[email address]
5. mailto:[email address]
6. https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
7. https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
8. https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
9. https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
10. https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
11. https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlo...