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Bereaved Families Push for Legal Duty of Care After National Review on Student Suicides

Government pledges action on transparency and student support as campaigners demand systemic reform in higher education.

Natasha Abrahart, 20, took her own life while studying at the University of Bristol, after a long struggle with social anxiety
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Overview

  • The national review found that mental ill-health and academic pressures were significant factors in student suicides, with nearly half of cases involving mental health challenges.
  • Bereaved families reported feeling excluded from investigations, with 76% of serious incident reviews not involving them in the process.
  • The review recommends introducing a 'duty of candour' in higher education to ensure transparency and involvement of families after suspected suicides.
  • Campaigners, including the family of Natasha Abrahart, criticized the review for not addressing systemic accountability and called for a statutory duty of care in universities.
  • Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced the government's commitment to implementing the review's findings through a taskforce meeting with universities and mental health experts.