Student Mental Health Agreement

At the University of the West of Scotland and the Students’ Union, we recognise the importance of promoting and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students. We all have mental health, and it effects not only how we feel, but our ability to work and learn productively, engage with those around us, and reach our individual potential. We are committed to working together towards a university environment that is free from mental health stigma and supports students throughout their studies.

As such, the University, Students’ Union and Team UWS have come together to work in partnership to develop a Student Mental Health Agreement (SMHA). The SMHA is a project led by Think Positive on behalf of NUS Scotland, and is a formal agreement to work jointly on promoting student mental health on campus. The agreement details actions which set out to change perceptions of mental health among the university community, challenge negative attitudes, and promote positive outcomes and supportive strategies to maximise student resilience. The agreement will be reviewed and developed each academic year, and signed by the executive lead in both the University and Students’ Union.

Get Involved

If you would like to hear more about the project or get involved in developing this year’s agreement please get in touch!

Email: SAUWSVPWelfareandWellbeing@uws.ac.uk

VIEW THE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AGREEMENT 2022-2023 (pdf)

SIGNING OF THE 2022-2023 AGREEMENT

Professor Jonathan Powles, Vice-Principal (Learning, Teaching & Students) at UWS, and Omoleye Awolaja, Vice-President of Welfare & Wellbeing at the UWS Students’ Union signed the Student Mental Health Agreement 2022-2023 on Monday 21st November 2022.

Professor Jonathan Powles, said:

UWS and the Students’ Union view mental health through a ‘whole systems lens’ and believe all students and staff have a role to play in improving mental health. I was delighted to sign this agreement which is the culmination of a lot of hard from students and colleagues across the whole UWS community.

Omoleye Awolaja, added:

I’m really pleased to sign this agreement today and I would like to thank the Student Mental Health Advisory Panel at UWS for their work on this agreement. I’m looking forward to continuing to work together with the University and our students to improve mental health for all.