Family of Cardiff student who took her own life is calling for better duty of care by unis

The family of a Cardiff University student, who took her own life, is calling on universities to provide a better duty of care for their students.

Mared Foulkes who was a 21-year-old pharmacy student from Anglesey, died by suicide seven hours after receiving her exam results in July 2020.

Mared had received an email stating she had failed an assessment and would not be able to progress into her third year. However, she had actually passed the exam after re-sitting it, and due to a miscommunication on Cardiff University’s behalf, which the coroner later said was “complex and confusing”, Mared was informed she had failed.

Her family since then has been urging universities to improve their duty of care for students.

Mared’s mother, Iona Foulkes said: “She was very conscientious, and she went to university to succeed.

“She left that day believing she had failed the year and wasn’t able to go back to Cardiff.”

Adding: “We have never been the same again. This family unit has gone forever.”

Iona and the family have since joined the “For the 100” campaign, which advocates for better duty of care for students across UK universities. The campaign is named to reflect on the number of students lost to suicide each year in Britain.

“I have to do this, as a grieving mother,” Iona said.

“Things are very slow to develop. No one else should lose their life before things change.

“It was a totally unnecessary tragedy.”

Iona has created a report with recommendations for universities to prevent student suicides, including ways to improve communication between the universities and families regarding students’ mental health and the introduction of an “opt-out” system, in case any students do not want their parents to be notified due to wellbeing concerns.

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This approach would allow universities to contact families in the event of severe mental health concerns unless the student explicitly opts out of the scheme.

ITV News reported that nine months before her death, Mared had visited Cardiff’s support services to discuss her mental health, but the family were unaware.

Solicitor Dr Emma Roberts, who has supported the family’s campaign, said: “Currently, the confidentiality law restricts universities from contacting the family if a serious welfare or mental health situation arises.”

Iona added: “They’ve [Cardiff University] lost a student, but I’ve lost a very, very sweet girl,

“I have to pass her grave every day, do [Cardiff University] have to do that?”

Cardiff University has apologised following Mared’s death and has since revised its processes to ensure it is as “open and transparent as possible in responding to questions that may arise from family and friends”.

The university also said that it respects the family’s proposal of an “opt-out” system and will review it as part of its current University Mental Health and Suicide Safety strategies.

A spokesperson for the university said: “However, we must respect the privacy of our students, as some students, for different reasons, do not want their information to be shared with their parents.”

The Foulkes family continues to advocate for these reforms, hoping to prevent similar losses for other families and create a more supportive environment for students.

Feature image credit: Youtube