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From the editor

Welcome to this special edition of the AUCC journal on the theme of theÌýadded value of in-house counselling. To this end we have an interview withÌýProfessor Sir Robert Burgess, Vice Chancellor of the University of LeicesterÌýand a Vice President of Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ. Until recently the Chair of the Universities and CollegesÌýAdmissions Service (UCAS), he leads the steering group that developed the newÌýHigher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) which aims to replace the currentÌýdegree classification system. He was knighted for services to local and national higherÌýeducation in the 2010 New Year’s Honours List.

From FE, we have an interview withÌýPeter Sampson, corporate head of learner and student services at Cornwall College,Ìýan institution which is growing its counselling service and its commitment toÌýcounselling, at a time when a number of colleges and universities are either cuttingÌýback or ‘restructuring’. This last seems to consist of some counselling services losing their identity and becoming part of wellbeing, in some cases affecting jobÌýdescriptions, job titles and even pay scales. We go on to hear from heads of services,Ìýgroup analysts and counsellors – offering what we hope you will agree is a good mix.

Coincidentally, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) recently published an update onÌýits 2003 seminal report on the mental health of students. It recognises the greaterÌýsociocultural diversity of the current generation of students, who have a greater risk ofÌýanxiety and depression than previous ones, the result of widening participation and aÌýhigher proportion of international students (a particularly vulnerable group), and moreÌýfractured family backgrounds alongside rising debt, uncertain job prospects and attemptsÌýto live up to expectations of these years as happy, carefree and sociable. The report statesÌýthat ‘the university or college is seen not only as a place of education but also as aÌýresource for promoting health and wellbeing in students, staff and the wider community’.Ìý

It goes on to say that the ‘setting itself is crucially important in determining health andÌýwellbeing’ and recognises that students may lose out on getting the help they need whenÌýreferred to NHS services with long-term implications both for themselves and society as aÌýwhole. They urge closer collaboration between NHS and HE providers and cite Leeds,ÌýBath, East London, Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin universities as models of collaborativeÌýworking. The report highlights the potential fragility of international students – and weÌýhear this issue from Alison Barty and Sachiko Kishi on a student-centred support groupÌýproject for newly arrived international students.

The report also emphasises the need forÌýlong-term prospective research – and lead advisor, Patti Wallace, describes AUCC’s currentÌýand future research plans in this issue of AUCC. The RCP report concludes by explicitlyÌýrecommending that the provision of student support in HE (and by inference FE) shouldÌýinclude counselling services, services for international students and those with a disability,Ìýall of which ‘greatly enhance the student experience’ and specifies that these should ‘beÌýmaintained and when possible expanded’. Dr John Callender, Chair of the working group,Ìýsaid: ‘demand ... continues to rise. Although there are some excellent support services forÌýstudents across the country, in many universities the provision of services has not keptÌýpace with expanding student numbers – leaving existing services overstretched.’ AUCCÌýmember Eileen Smith, Head of Counselling at the University of Hertfordshire and a jointÌýauthor of the report, has been quoted as agreeing that many students may be the first inÌýtheir family to reach this level of education and so may face ‘...a lot of pressure...toÌýsucceed. They can be carrying the hopes of a whole family.’Ìý

Last not but least, your journal will shortly be undergoing a redesign – if you haveÌýany particular ideas, please do contact me; as ever I urge you to send in yourÌýthoughts, ideas, and any new projects that you are involved in and share them withÌýthe membership.

Dani Singer
Editor

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