New resources now available to help prevent suicide and self-harm in young people

Ten evidence-based recommendations for schools, youth organisations, and local authorities have been published to help prevent suicide and self-harm in young people.

While staff in schools and youth organisations are often the first adults to find out when a young person is self-harming or thinking about suicide, researchers at the University of Exeter along with colleagues at the University of Bristol and Newcastle University, found guidance to help organisations is often inconsistent, unclear on whether and what evidence is used to create it, and lacks lived experience input.

The NIHR School for Public Health Research funded 4S Study is led by Dr Abby Russell at Exeter and Professor Judi Kidger and Dr Lucy Biddle at Bristol and addresses this challenge by combining research, expert professional knowledge, and lived experience to develop 10 Principles of Practice. Organisations working with young people can use this guiding resource to strengthen their policies, staff training, and support pathways across suicide prevention, intervention, and response following a death by suicide.

The 10 Principles of Practice emphasise the need for organisations to:

• create open and supportive environments for both young people and staff
• provide inclusive and non-judgemental support to young people who self-harm or have suicidal thoughts
• have a critical incident plan in place in case there is a death by suicide in their community.

The Principles of Practice were launched in September at a webinar attended by over 100 practitioners and researchers.

David Stacey is the Public Health Programme Manager for Lincolnshire County Council and said: “We’ve been really pleased to see the Principles of Practice now in place so we can take those forwards. In Lincolnshire, there’s a lot of work that we want to do to support schools at the prevention stage, particularly with the new RSHE guidance from the Department for Education. The 4S Study and the Principles of Practice are absolutely fundamental to our approach in doing that work.”

Further information, including links to the Principles of Practice, a recorded webinar, an animation, and details about the study’s findings can be found here.