Union Priority
Strengthen the visibility and accessibility of Union wellbeing initiatives.
Ensuring students know about available support services available and feel empowered to seek support relies on services being visible and easy to access when they’re needed. We will increase the in-person visibility of Union-led student wellbeing initiatives, including our peer support services and our harm reduction initiatives. We will connect our work around student belonging and wellbeing, tackling the negative wellbeing impacts of student loneliness through support and human connection.
Measure: ‘I would turn to the Union for advice’ score in Pulse to increase from the current average of 53%.
University Priority
Increase early intervention in the whole University approach to student wellbeing, as set out in the University Mental Health Charter.
Early intervention is crucial in student wellbeing, as it often prevents potential issues from disrupting student continuation and progression. The University’s commitment to the University Mental Health Charter demonstrates how every area of the organisation should make mental wellbeing a priority. Pending the outcome of the upcoming assessment process in November, we want to see the University increase and expand its communication with students about the support available at Surrey, with a particular focus on early intervention. We’d also like to see the new approach to personal tutoring evaluated and expanded to benefit a wider pool of students.
Measure: NSS measure for “how well communicated was information about your University’s mental wellbeing support services” to increase.
Partnership Priority
Sharing expertise and knowledge for better student outcomes.
The Students’ Union is uniquely placed to identify emerging trends and issues affecting Surrey students through our Union advice service which offers independent and confidential support, and through our Student Equality Network, which gives students from diverse backgrounds the space to discuss their experiences. We want to share more insight and expertise with the University, using what we are seeing and hearing from students to help inform and refine the support that the University provides. By working in partnership, we can ensure that services and approaches continue to respond to the changing and increasingly diverse needs of our students.
We also want to work collaboratively on staff training and development, ensuring University and Union staff are equipped to respond to the evolving issues. Through this partnership, we can work together to continually review and shape support provision so that it remains relevant, accessible and effective for Surrey students.
Measure: Increase in satisfaction among groups with lowest overall life satisfaction in the Pulse survey.