Supporting student wellbeing: what academic staff need from their universities

Across UK universities, academic staff are increasingly the first to notice when a student is struggling. A student stops attending seminars. Another sends an email at 2am saying they cannot cope. A third discloses a disability halfway through the semester.

As expectations around student support evolve, an important question arises: how prepared do academic staff feel to respond? Most academics were never formally trained to manage these conversations, respond to mental health disclosures, or navigate complex wellbeing concerns.

To explore this, we conducted a survey of 181 academic staff at a UK higher education provider. The research was co-designed by a Chartered Health Psychologist and the institution’s Head of Student Support, combining expertise from both academic and student services perspectives.

The aim was simple but important: to understand how academic staff experience their role in supporting student wellbeing and what helps them do this effectively.

Academics are already supporting students

Any discussion of staff training must recognise what staff are already doing. Wellbeing support is not limited to specialist services; it is embedded in everyday teaching.

82.9% of respondents reported having supported a student experiencing wellbeing difficulties or who had disclosed a disability. More than a third (35.9%) said they have wellbeing conversations frequently, and 50.3% do so occasionally. Most academic staff regularly navigate sensitive and complex conversations.

Additionally, 63.5% of staff had previously worked in roles involving student wellbeing or disability support, such as mentoring, student support, or counselling. This suggests a workforce with considerable relevant experience, even if it is not always formally acknowledged.

Confidence

Overall confidence among academic staff is relatively high. A composite confidence scale measuring self-efficacy across four areas (recognising early signs of distress, supporting students with disabilities, identifying reasonable adjustments, and managing wellbeing conversations) yielded a mean score of 4.3 out of 5, with 86.8% feeling somewhat or very confident.

There was a modest positive correlation between confidence and knowledge of the college's approach to student support (r = .37, p < .001). Feeling confident does not automatically mean knowing institutional processes or referral pathways.

Only 46% of staff had received formal training on student wellbeing or disability inclusion in the last two years, meaning more than half are navigating these situations without recent preparation.

What helps staff feel knowledgeable?

Factors predicting perceived knowledge included confidence in supporting students, feeling that wellbeing support is recognised by line managers, and having sufficient classroom contact to notice struggling students.

Years of teaching experience, line manager support, external training in the past two years, and awareness of the Equality Act 2010 did not predict perceived knowledge. Experience alone cannot fully build institutional knowledge.

Barriers academic staff face

Staff identified several practical challenges. Time was the most frequently mentioned barrier. Alongside teaching, marking, and administrative duties, following up on student concerns outside scheduled teaching can be difficult.

Several staff said that while they feel comfortable initiating wellbeing conversations, further training would support their confidence in responding to complex mental health disclosures. Referral processes were also highlighted, with staff valuing assurance that students they refer receive appropriate support.

Wider contextual factors affect wellbeing conversations. Students may choose not to disclose difficulties or decline support. Stigma around mental health, disability, or asking for help can prevent engagement. Some students worry about how disclosure might affect perceptions academically or socially, while others prefer to manage difficulties privately.

Large class sizes and online teaching environments make it harder to notice early signs of struggle. Limited individual interaction can impede recognition of changes in behaviour, attendance, or engagement. Online and hybrid learning can reduce informal interactions, making it harder to detect non-verbal cues such as withdrawal or distress. Ensuring every learner feels seen and supported is challenging in large or digitally mediated classrooms.

What would help staff support students better?

Training emerged as a clear priority. Respondents highlighted practical professional development in mental health awareness, disability and neurodiversity (including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia), and clarity around institutional policies, referral pathways, and reasonable adjustments.

Staff expressed interest in inclusive teaching approaches, particularly Universal Design for Learning (UDL), to create accessible learning environments. Developing confidence in recognising early signs of distress, knowing how to respond, and understanding referral procedures were identified as areas where further guidance would be beneficial.

Staff emphasised that training is most helpful when practical, relevant to teaching realities, and connected to institutional systems. Short, accessible sessions focusing on real scenarios, referral processes, and inclusive strategies can help staff feel equipped to respond to student disclosures.

Key takeaways for universities

The findings highlight practical priorities for institutions:

1. Recognise pastoral work as core academic activity. Many academics engage in sensitive conversations, yet this work is often unacknowledged in workload models. Institutions should ensure staff have sufficient time to follow up with students, and that pastoral responsibilities are reflected in timetabling.
2. Provide clear referral pathways. Staff need to understand how and when to signpost students to specialist services, and to feel confident navigating institutional processes when wellbeing or disability concerns arise.
3. Embed regular professional development. Practical CPD in mental health awareness, disability and neurodiversity inclusion, and referral procedures helps staff feel confident and equipped to respond when students disclose difficulties.

Conclusion: supporting the supporters

Supporting student wellbeing has quietly become part of everyday academic work. Across seminars, tutorials, and emails, staff are often first to notice and respond to student struggles. Much of this work is informal and driven by commitment to student success yet rarely recognised as a core academic responsibility.

What matters most is not simply years of experience or occasional training. It is whether staff feel that supporting student wellbeing is acknowledged as part of their role, and whether they have the time, knowledge, and institutional support to do this work effectively.

Universities face a challenge: if academics are expected to support student wellbeing, institutions must ensure structures make this possible. Clear referral pathways, realistic workloads, and practical professional development are essential.

When academic staff are supported, they are better positioned to recognise early signs of difficulty, respond appropriately, and connect students with specialist support. Strengthening staff capacity is not about shifting responsibility from specialist services, but recognising the role academics already play and equipping them with the knowledge, confidence, and institutional backing to do it well.

Supporting student wellbeing begins with supporting the people closest to students in daily learning. Investing in academic staff strengthens the entire support system around students.