De Montfort University’s Embedding Mental Wellbeing team harnesses the power of academics, professional services and the Students’ Union in collaborative partnership to embed mental wellbeing activity across the University. Responding to the needs of the University community and the impact of Covid-19, the team reviewed and extended the existing mental wellbeing offer and introduced a new suite of support for colleagues and students to enhance mental wellbeing.
The team was led by Zoë Allman (PFHEA & NTF) in a project originally aligned to Advance HE’s Embedding Mental Wellbeing in the Curriculum national activity. When Covid-19 lockdowns impacted activity across the country Zoë established and led a new team to re-scope the project to guarantee delivery of impact by ensuring that embedding mental wellbeing in the curriculum reached, and was accessible to, students across the University. Bringing together elected sabbatical officers and permanent staff from the Students’ Union, representatives from HealthyDMU, Course Specific Initiatives, and Welfare alongside Academic Development created a holistic, multidisciplinary approach.
In new collaborative action the team created five new wellbeing masterclasses for students, two new workshops for staff, a series of downloadable tutor packs for use in a variety of taught settings, unique online resources, opportunities for student voice leading to individualised support, and importantly a clear communication strategy about what was available, how and why to engage, to enhance mental wellbeing and student experience.
Mental wellbeing has been successfully embedded across the University, from induction and staff development, to Student Union by-law and University strategy changes. The team has extended its reach and impact beyond the University, with invited speaker opportunities at numerous conferences, journal articles, blogs and a book chapter. Through this project multiple agencies have achieved transformation and cross-institutional, as well as cross-sector impact.
