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Unite Students offers Nightline support – 21 April 2015

8 November 2016

Unite Students first provider to offer student listening service

UNITE Students has become the first student accommodation provider to offer a confidential listening service, giving critical emotional support to students.

Unite is the UK’s largest and most experienced provider of student accommodation which aims to provide a ‘Home for Success’ to its more than 43,000 students.

Nightline is a confidential night-time listening service run by students for students. NUS research has revealed around one in five students experience mental health issues while at university .

Unite will now be able to offer the Nightline service to all students in all of its 130 properties – whether or not their university has its own Nightline.

Jenny Shaw, Unite Students’ head of student services, said: “I believe students in 2015 are under more pressure than any generation which has gone before them.

“Teams in the 25 cities where our properties are situated are often called on to support students who are clearly struggling. In rare cases students can present some quite extreme symptoms.

“We want to take a truly student-led approach which works in close partnership with specialist services. Nightline is a superb service which puts students who need to hear a friendly voice in touch with someone from their own world.”

The new service is intended to work with and bolster existing support services offered by universities.

Unite staff will receive training to look and listen for warning signs associated with high stress and possible mental health issues. 

If staff are concerned they can sensitively refer students to the Nightline appropriate to their university. Where the student’s university does not offer Nightline, calls will go to London Nightline.