National Standard of Canada for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students

Why is uOttawa implementing the Standard?

Implementing the standard has also been recommended under two key processes, including the Roadmap to Wellness produced by the Campus Action Group, as well as the findings and recommendations of the President’s Advisory Committee on Mental Health and Wellness.

Last, but not least, the Standard aligns well with the commitments of the Okanagan Charter, which is also being implemented at uOttawa in order to become a health promoting campus.

What is the Standard?

The CSA Z2003:20 National Standard of Canada for Mental Health and WellBeing for Post-Secondary Students — the first of its kind in the world — is a set of flexible, voluntary guidelines to help post-secondary institutions support the mental-health and well-being of their students.

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Keeping Student Mental Health at the Heart of Post-Secondary Education

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National Standard Working Group Action Plan and Report

The National Student Standards Working Group is pleased to present our final report, recommendations and suggested operational action plan to the University of Ottawa, and the Mental Health Steering Committee. The National Standard of Canada for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students is the world’s first standard to help post-secondary institutions support positive mental health and well-being for students.

Click here to access the working group report

What are the highlights of the uOttawa working group?

uOttawa National Standards Priority Areas:

Data Management

Better collaborating coordinating and maintaining shared data.
Using collated data effectively and transparently to communicate shared progress and challenges with the community

Framework

Implement a cross-university MH and wellbeing framework
Systematically embed MH & W into uOttawa’s core business
Plan for, seek and allocate funding that is directly allocated to mental health and wellness

Safe & Supportive Learning Environment

Equip the uOttawa community with skills & tools to support equity and accessibility

Multi-faceted communications

A systematic communication strategy for MH & W throughout the student life cycle
Support the ongoing growth of students’ health literacy
Ensure uOttawa views health communication as a core component of university business

Community Engagement & Literacy

Community Engagement & feedback
Streamline & expand training opportunities for the uOttawa community
Incorporate the uOttawa community’s format & informal knowledge to inform initiatives

Community Consultation – Methodology Summary

Three streams of Consultation

Key Informants:

Direct 1 to 1 interviews with stakeholders with expertise on specific Campus Action Tracker Tool questions (i.e. Manager, Academic Accommodation).

Topic Expert Groups:

Working group members attended regularly scheduled meetings of other existing working groups or experts (i.e. BIPOC support group) to ask questions relevant to their expertise.
These topic expert groups included staff, profs, students.

Student Focus Groups:

Student focus groups were facilitated by a grad student.
The recruitment emphasized student representation from targeted and minority population groups (i.e. international students)
Each group also submitted mini polls on their allocated Campus Mental Health Action Tracker Tool questions

How does the Standard work?

The Standard is adaptable, so each post-secondary institution can decide what is achievable based on their situation, resources, and community context. And because it is grounded in a commitment to continuous improvement, each can determine its own priorities for improving student mental health and well-being over time, no matter where they start.