The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has become a founder member of a pioneering scheme that aims to improve student safety, security and wellbeing standards across the UK higher education sector.
The university has joined ProtectED, the first national accreditation scheme of its kind.
Developed at the University of Salford, ProtectED aims to make it easier for prospective students and their parents to identify universities in the UK which prioritise welfare.
The initiative requires members to have in place measures to support university security, student wellbeing, safety and mental health, and international student welfare.
To achieve accreditation under the ProtectED code of practice, member universities must meet the recognised standard which is validated by independent experts and assessors.
Lisa Banks, director of student services at UCLan, which has 33,000 students, said: “We have done a lot of work in the area of student safety and wellbeing, for example through our adoption of the ‘Ask for Angela’ safety scheme to protect students on nights out.
“ProtectED will act as a valuable benchmark for the university and will enable us to proactively promote the work we are doing by sharing best practice with other institutions.”
ProtectED director Andrew Wootton said: “We welcome the leadership and sense of purpose shown by UCLan in joining ProtectED in its mission to improve the experience and outcomes of students in higher education.
“As a founder member, UCLan will help us steer the development and roll-out of ProtectED over the coming years. Together we will raise standards across the sector and support students to achieve their full potential.”
