Open Forum Events has a deep-rooted history in hosting nationwide conferences that shed light on the mental well-being of young individuals. We're excited to unveil the "Strengthening Mental Health Support in Universities - A Way Forward" conference, our seventh conference aimed at strengthening mental health support in the Higher Education sector.
Transitioning from school to university is a significant milestone for many young adults. This change, though exhilarating, can sometimes be overwhelming, posing challenges to their mental well-being. Factors like adjusting to a new environment away from home, academic pressures, forming new relationships, and managing finances can make them more susceptible to mental distress.
A 2022 student survey indicated:
With the alarming fact that 100 students take their own lives annually and almost one-third cite mental health as a primary reason for contemplating leaving university, the urgency for comprehensive mental health support is undeniable.
Our "Strengthening Mental Health Support in Universities - A Way Forward" conference aims to unify key figures in student welfare to:
The agenda includes insightful presentations from experts with first-hand and professional experiences, interactive sessions, open discussions, and informal networking opportunities.
This presentation will give a brief overview of where we are now, and how we got here. Setting the scene for the day ahead and the context in which we are working. Dominique will then outline her key priorities for student mental health, considering both the evidence we have and based on her personal experience of working with multiple universities and national organisations.
The Student Services Partnerships Evaluation and Quality Standards (SPEQS) toolkit aims to facilitate and evaluate partnerships between university and NHS mental health services. The toolkit was developed collaboratively with Student Minds, Universities UK, NHS England and five regional hubs in England. This presentation will explore the collaborative efforts involved in developing the SPEQS toolkit, as well as the toolkit's domains and how they can be used to facilitate service partnerships to enhance student mental health outcomes.
Resources
• Access the SPEQS toolkit
• Interview with HE Professional
• Podcast with SMaRteN
Speaker TBC, Papyrus (invited)
Papyrus as a nationwide suicide prevention charity supporting young people under 35 and professionals. They have a helpline for young people living with thoughts of suicide, professionals and concerned loves ones and also delivering training to support professionals in supporting young people.
Allocated planned time for speakers to receive questions from the audience and induce further discussion.
In this presentation, Michael Sanders will discuss the challenges in student mental health, looking at data from a large scale survey conducted annually for more than a decade, the student academic experiences survey, which shows trends in mental health challenges, and who is particularly struggling.
Men are less likely to disclose mental health conditions to their universities or reach out for support compared to their female counterparts. Male students make up 69% of university suicides as a possible consequence of not seeking help.
A hot, two-course lunch consisting of multiple options will be provided for delegates. We cater for all dietary requirements, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten/dairy-free; just notify us ahead of time should you have any allergens or requirements.
Self-harm amongst adolescence is a major public health concern with a prevalence that has increased compared to previous years. Self-harm typically begins during adolescence, marking this as a critical period of vulnerability and heightens the need for effective preventative measures. It is well known that sleep is associated with multiple mental health problems, including low mood, anxiety, ADHD, and self-harm. Globally, as adolescents age, they obtain shorter sleep durations, and their sleep patterns worsen. This can be attributed to biological delays in their sleep-wake cycles as well as environmental factors, such as early school start times, forcing adolescents to rise prior to their natural wake-up time. Specific sleep variables have been associated with self-harm cross-sectionally, and some recent evidence has highlighted sleep as a key risk factor for later self-harm. Understanding the role of sleep in the development and maintenance of self-harm can benefit the development of transdiagnostic preventative interventions.
The Student Mental Health Evidence Hub is a new, free resource to help higher education providers use evidence to develop their mental health interventions. The presentation will demonstrate how the Evidence Hub can guide evidence-informed practice and build evaluation capacity of student mental health interventions.
It will give an overview of the key elements of the Evidence Hub: the evidence-based toolkit, evaluation guidance and examples of current practice.
Allocated planned time for speakers to receive questions from the audience and induce further discussion.
Speaker TBC
Having difficulty paying through Eventbrite? If you would like assistance registering your place please contact me on 0161 376 9007 and i'll be happy to assist. If you are awaiting funding you can request us to hold your place today to ensure you do not miss out.
Discounts for 3 or more delegates are available.Want to pay by invoice? If you select your tickets and click on the green Register button. Once you’re through to the registration page, you can switch payment method from Credit/ Debit Card to Pay by Invoice
Pendulum Hotel & Manchester Conference Centre is the ideal solution when searching for conference venues in Manchester. Top-of-the-range conference suites, 3 star value hotel accommodation, delicious dining and friendly service are the ideal components for a successful conference or event in the heart of the city centre.
The 18 conference rooms are decked out with all the mod cons including state-of-the-art AV technology, projectors and screens, free Wi-Fi and flip charts. Our clients cover the whole spectrum and include government organisations, trade unions, large corporate companies, non-profit organisations, health and education sectors and small to medium-sized businesses.
From the get-go we strive for excellence in everything we do and our dedicated team of conference professionals go all out to make sure your conference, event or exhibition runs like clockwork.
