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

The request was successful.

Dear University of Westminster,
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• How many students subsequently rescinded their consent?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

The Information Compliance Team are now working remotely. 
We will respond to your email as soon as we are able. Your patience during
this period will be greatly appreciated.

The University of Westminster is a charity and a company limited by
guarantee. Registration number: 977818 England.
Registered Office: 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2HW.

This message and its attachments are private and confidential. If you have
received this message in error, please notify the sender and remove it and
its attachments from your system.

1 Attachment

Dear Gillian Green,

Please see attached the University's acknowledgement of your request for information.

Best wishes,

Hannah Wilkinson
Information Compliance Assistant
University of Westminster
32-38 Wells Street
London W1T 3UW

Email confidentiality notice
This email and its attachments are intended for the above named only and may be confidential. If they have come to you in error you must not copy or show them to anyone, nor should you take any action based on them, other than to notify the error by replying to the sender. There is no intention to create any legally binding contract or other commitment through the use of this email.
Please consider the environment before printing this email.

-----Original Message-----
From: Gillian Green <[FOI #735833 email]>
Sent: 12 March 2021 15:09
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Statistics of number of parents / nominated persons contacted by university regarding student mental wellbeing.

Dear University of Westminster,

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

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

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

[FOI #735833 email]

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

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:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

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

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.

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

The University of Westminster is a charity and a company limited by guarantee. Registration number: 977818 England. Registered Office: 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2HW.

This message and its attachments are private and confidential. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and remove it and its attachments from your system.

hide quoted sections

Dear FOI,

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

The Information Compliance Team are now working remotely. 
We will respond to your email as soon as we are able. Your patience during
this period will be greatly appreciated.

The University of Westminster is a charity and a company limited by
guarantee. Registration number: 977818 England.
Registered Office: 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2HW.

This message and its attachments are private and confidential. If you have
received this message in error, please notify the sender and remove it and
its attachments from your system.

Dear Gillian Green,

Apologies for the delay in our response, the University requires a little more time to complete your request. We hope to get back to you as soon as possible.

Best wishes,

Hannah Wilkinson
Information Compliance Assistant
University of Westminster
32-38 Wells Street
London W1T 3UW

Email confidentiality notice
This email and its attachments are intended for the above named only and may be confidential. If they have come to you in error you must not copy or show them to anyone, nor should you take any action based on them, other than to notify the error by replying to the sender. There is no intention to create any legally binding contract or other commitment through the use of this email.
Please consider the environment before printing this email.

-----Original Message-----
From: Gillian Green <[FOI #735833 email]>
Sent: 14 April 2021 11:35
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Statistics of number of parents / nominated persons contacted by university regarding student mental wellbeing. (FOI 2021 057)

Dear FOI,

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

-----Original Message-----

Dear Gillian Green,

Please see attached the University's acknowledgement of your request for information.

Best wishes,

Hannah Wilkinson
Information Compliance Assistant
University of Westminster
32-38 Wells Street
London W1T 3UW

Email confidentiality notice
This email and its attachments are intended for the above named only and may be confidential. If they have come to you in error you must not copy or show them to anyone, nor should you take any action based on them, other than to notify the error by replying to the sender. There is no intention to create any legally binding contract or other commitment through the use of this email.
Please consider the environment before printing this email.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #735833 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------
The University of Westminster is a charity and a company limited by guarantee. Registration number: 977818 England. Registered Office: 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2HW.

This message and its attachments are private and confidential. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and remove it and its attachments from your system.

hide quoted sections

1 Attachment

Dear Gillian Green,

Please see attached the University's response to your request for information. Apologies again for the delay.

Best wishes,

Hannah Wilkinson
Information Compliance Assistant
University of Westminster
32-38 Wells Street
London W1T 3UW

Email confidentiality notice
This email and its attachments are intended for the above named only and may be confidential. If they have come to you in error you must not copy or show them to anyone, nor should you take any action based on them, other than to notify the error by replying to the sender. There is no intention to create any legally binding contract or other commitment through the use of this email.
Please consider the environment before printing this email.

-----Original Message-----
From: Gillian Green <[FOI #735833 email]>
Sent: 12 March 2021 15:09
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Statistics of number of parents / nominated persons contacted by university regarding student mental wellbeing.

Dear University of Westminster,

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

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

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

[FOI #735833 email]

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

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:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

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

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.

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

The University of Westminster is a charity and a company limited by guarantee. Registration number: 977818 England. Registered Office: 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2HW.

This message and its attachments are private and confidential. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and remove it and its attachments from your system.

hide quoted sections