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

The request was successful.

Dear London Business School,

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• How many students subsequently rescinded their consent?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

FOI, London Business School

1 Attachment

Dear Gillian,

 

I am writing in response to your request of 12th April, for information
under the Freedom of Information Act.  Please find below the response to
your questions:

 

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?  N/A

• How many students subsequently rescinded their consent?  N/A
• How many times was the opt-in consent used to contact somebody? N/A
• How many times was use of the opt-in consent considered, but with you
deliberately choosing not to contact a parent or nominated individual? N/A

 

London Business School are not part of the opt-in scheme.

I hope that you find this response to your request satisfactory.  However,
if you are not content with the response you may ask the School to review
it.  If you wish to do this, please write to Richard Frost, Secretary,
London Business School, Regents Park, London NW1 4SA enclosing a copy of
your original request and explaining your complaint.

 

If you remain dissatisfied, you may ask the Information Commissioner to
review our decision.  Details of how to contact the Commissioner are found
at [1]www.ico.org.uk or telephone 01625 545745.

 

Best wishes,

Jennifer

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Jennifer Matthews | Executive Assistant | Dean’s Office

London Business School | Regent's Park | London NW1 4SA | UK
D: +44 (0)20 7000 8670 | T: +44 (0)20 7000 7000
E: [2][email address] | W: [3]www.london.edu

Connect with us: [4]LinkedIn | [5]Twitter | [6]Facebook | [7]Instagram

 

From: Gillian Green <[FOI #746023 email]>
Sent: 12 April 2021 12:36
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Statistics of number of parents
/ nominated persons contacted by university regarding student mental
wellbeing.

 

Dear London Business School,

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:

[8]http://www.bristol.ac.uk/contacting-peop...

[9]https://thetab.com/uk/2018/09/20/these-a...

[10]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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[11][FOI #746023 email]

Is [12][London Business School request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to London Business School? If so, please contact us using this
form:

[13]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[14]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:

[15]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. http://www.ico.org.uk/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. http://www.london.edu/
http://www.london.edu/
4. https://www.linkedin.com/school/5954
5. https://twitter.com/LBS
6. http://www.facebook.com/pages/London-Uni...
7. https://www.instagram.com/londonbschool/...
8. http://www.bristol.ac.uk/contacting-peop...
9. https://thetab.com/uk/2018/09/20/these-a...
10. https://thetab.com/uk/bristol/2019/10/31...
11. mailto:[FOI #746023 email]
12. mailto:[London Business School request email]
13. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...
14. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...
15. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...