Collaboration and Partnerships

Pillar of our strategy

The exploration and establishment of internal and external partnerships, with a continued commitment to work with them in a meaningful way at both commissioning and operational levels, is at the core of this pillar of our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Collaboration and Partnerships - Pillar of our strategy

  • The University fosters a strong collaborative relationship with public health authorities at Wolverhampton City Council and with third-sector groups including the Samaritans, Papyrus, Kaleidoscope, Our Black Country Recovery College, and Positive Participation. The University is a key stakeholder in city-wide wellbeing activity, to include Wolverhampton and Black Country Wide Suicide Prevention and action planning. In 2019 our Academic Lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing was appointed as independent chair for the Wolverhampton Multi Stakeholder’s Suicide Prevention Forum, and has led the forum to gaining charity status in 2021.

  • Our Student Support and Wellbeing service has established links with the Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and with the local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group. This is aimed at improving pathways into NHS specialist mental health provision for our students. Within this relationship, is a clear distinction of what provision and service we can offer as a HEI, as well as the service and provision we cannot offer and is instead more appropriately provided by secondary care or emergency services

  • We work closely with Wolves Student’s Union on Mental Health and Wellbeing. For example, within our Office for Students mental health project, they are a named partner who has enabled and enhanced our ability to work with groups of students to co-explore their placement-based experiences and will support with the co-design of pedagogic solutions and resources.

  • The University aims to create partnerships with students in attempting to identify and offer provision for some of the mental health and wellbeing challenges they navigate. One such example can be found below.

  • The University will continue to commit as a key community partner and stakeholder to any mental health and wellbeing steer, needs assessment, and planning within our region

  • The University will continue to commit to contributing to national discussions within higher education mental health and wellbeing, and to sharing and learning from best practice.

  • We will continue to work with external partners to improve pathways between the University and local mental health services, helping students and staff to navigate those pathways.

  • A key thread within our Office for Students project and our Vision 2030 strategy is to view our students as partners. Co-exploration of the experiences they navigate and co-production of some of the solutions we can work together to make happen, will form the basis of our own framework for co-exploration and co-creation. This will be made available to our own Faculties, Institutes and Schools, and the wider HE sector. 

  • We will continue to work closely with Wolves Student’s Union on mental health and wellbeing, working with SU officers and staff, and any students who want to be involved, aligning them with university steering group membership.
  • We will work in partnership with students in the development and delivery of this strategies priorities through a paid Student Wellbeing Ambassador scheme
  • To further strengthen our collaborative working, a robust Memorandum of Understanding will be finalised with public health and NHS partners. This will cover a spectrum of support and provision to also include opportunities for students, such as placements, volunteering, research and employability.

 

Wolverhampton Wellbeing Checks

In 2020, one of our Student’s Union School Reps and Final year Medical Science and Clinical Practice students has worked in partnership with the University to develop and offer open access 20-minute wellbeing checks, which are available to both staff and students.

The University of Wolverhampton Wellbeing Check consists of a 20-minute no-fee-consultation, where a number of non-invasive baseline measurements are offered, to include: blood pressure, pulse rate, BMI, body fat percentage, visceral fat, and muscle mass. A range of signposting is on offer and is all tailored to the individual’s needs, which can include nutritional plans, exercise and lifestyle advice, along with food recipe cards.

In further partnership with WLV Gym, all attendees receive two complimentary guest passes for WLV Gym (with which they can bring a friend or attend twice).