Bereaved parents say review into student suicides in England is ‘slap in the face’

Parents say government's planned review has too short a timeframe and will not be sufficiently rigorous

Bereaved parents whose children have killed themselves while at university have criticised thegovernment's planned review of student suicides in England, describing it as a slap in the face" for families.

The higher education minister, Robert Halfon, announced the national review earlier this year amid mounting concern over student mental health and a series of suicides that attracted widespread coverage in the media.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org