University Mental Health Charter
Since its launch in 2020, Glasgow Caledonian University has participated in the Student Minds’ University Mental Health Charter Accreditation Scheme and is one of the first universities in the UK, and the only in Scotland, to be awarded the University Mental Health Charter Award.
The University Mental Health Charter (UMHC) is a framework for universities across the UK to enhance their practice in supporting mental health and wellbeing for students and staff in a whole-university approach and in 2024/25 Glasgow Caledonian University continued their participation in the Charter programme, alongside 113 other Universities in the UK to engage with the framework.
For Glasgow Caledonian, participation in the University Mental Health Charter means:
- Exploring the experience of our students and staff and ensuring that our support is accessible, available, and contextualised to their experiences
- Actively engaging our staff and students as partners in creating and developing resources
- Continually enhancing our governance for mental health and wellbeing
- Supporting research into mental health and wellbeing
- Striving to develop many other projects of work to support the health and wellbeing of everyone at Glasgow Caledonian.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Decent emphasised the significance of Glasgow Caledonian’s involvement in the UMHC.
He said: “Engaging with the University Mental Health Charter has helped enhance the support for mental health and wellbeing for our staff and students. I am delighted that we are continuing this very important partnership and very much look forward to building on our relationship and further promoting positive mental health and wellbeing.”
If you have any questions about the University Mental Health Charter, and what this means for Glasgow Caledonian University, please get in touch with one of the Charter Leads below.
Glasgow Caledonian's Charter Leads
In 2023, we introduced named leads for the University Mental Health Charter. These leads form the Lead Working Group and ensure that we drive forward, practice, monitor and record progress and cross-collaborate across the University. They are:
| Primary contact and administrative role | Rachel Simpson, Project Officer for Student Mental Health |
|---|---|
| Learn | Fiona Kennedy, Senior Lecturer in Academic Development |
| Support | Avril Williams, Head of Student Wellbeing and Deputy Director of Student Life |
| Work | Lizzie Reather, Organisational Development Specialist |
| Live | Kirsty MacInnes, Head of Student Enquiries, Advice and Events |
| Enabling themes | Jackie Main, Director of Student Life |
| Student Lead | Oluwatomisin (Tomtom) Osinubi, Vice President at GCU Students' Association |
| GCU London Lead | Kelli Powling, GCU London Campus Librarian |
The leads collaborate with many of the governance structures at Glasgow Caledonian and Glasgow Caledonian Students' Association to ensure that our practise, policy and governance is co-created with students and staff. This includes the Student Wellbeing Advisory Group, People Committee, the Education Committee, Executive Board, the Student Action Group for Engagement, Student Voice, and key partners both internally and across the sector, to name a few examples.
The Student Wellbeing Advisory Group is a cross-institutional working group that was formed in 2018 to continue working to support student mental health and wellbeing. The group features representation from across the GCU community, including academics, GCU London, GCU Students' Association and GCU London Students' Association.