To ask the Scottish Government what the implications are for colleges and universities of the reduction in mental health services that were set out in the letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to the Finance and Public Administration Committee on 3 September 2024.
The cessation of funding, referred to in the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government’s letter, was extensively discussed with the sector. Since 2019/20, the Scottish Government has invested over £19 million to support student mental health and wellbeing in colleges and universities. This includes the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Fund 2023-24 for Academic Year 2023-24, to help institutions to transition to a more sustainable means of providing mental health support for students.
Our new Student Mental Health Action Plan, published on 13 September, seeks to move to a mainstreamed approach to student mental health which will help students better access services. The Government will work with NHS Boards, CoSLA, Public Health Scotland and community based providers to join up support that is already available, embedding students’ mental health needs into the wider communities in which they live and study.
The Action Plan recognises the importance of each college and university having a Student Mental Health Agreement in place. To enable this we continue to support NUS Think Positive with £130,000 in 2024-25.