City joins the University Mental Health Charter Programme

City, University of London is proud to have been accepted to join the University Mental Health Charter Programme, with the aim of ensuring improved and more equal mental health and wellbeing outcomes for students and staff at City.

As part of City’s new strategy, we have committed to take a whole university and public health approach to student and staff wellbeing using the Charter application as a framework to assess and structure our approach.

Published in 2019, the Charter framework provides a set of evidence-informed principles to support universities across the UK in prioritising staff and student mental health and making it a university-wide priority. City is now eligible to work towards the Charter Award, an accreditation scheme for universities that demonstrate excellent practice in mental health.

The University Mental Health Charter Programme:

• Encourages universities to develop a whole-university approach to mental health.
• Helps to understand areas of strength and development to inform ongoing improvement.
• Recognises universities that demonstrate excellent approaches to student and staff mental health.

Professor Debra Salmon, Senior Diversity Ambassador for Mental Health and Wellbeing at City said:

“We are delighted that City has been accepted to become a member of the University Mental Health Charter Programme. Through this university-wide project, we will adopt good practice in promoting mental health and wellbeing, improve our mental health support services and strengthen a sense of belonging within our City community as we work towards the achievement of this important charter. This is a fantastic opportunity to focus our collective energies on building an environment that prioritises the mental health and wellbeing of our students and staff”.

James Saward, Head of Student Health and Wellbeing at City said:

“Good student and staff mental health is an institutional priority for City. In joining the University Mental Health Charter Programme, we are making clear our commitment to promoting and practising good mental health and wellbeing for everyone in our community. The Charter provides a clear framework for sharing best practices and developing a whole- university approach that put students and staff experience at the heart of everything we do. We look forward to working with students and staff from across City on this exciting project!”

Fortune Sampson, Deputy President at City Students’ Union said:

“Students at City believe that good mental health and wellbeing is a prerequisite to positive engagement in studies and university life. Beyond making mental health services efficient, sound policies must be in place to support students from the start of their programme until their graduation; our staff team also need good mental health and wellbeing to properly carry out their roles and contribute to an excellent student experience. The Student Minds Mental Health Charter gives students and staff a befitting platform to ensure these aspirations are met.”