Resources on suicide and self-harm prevention
Here you’ll find other useful resources that you can use to support your work to reduce suicide and self-harm. Click on the topic headings below to find out more.
The NCISH report, Suicide by children and young people (2017) (PDF), identifies common themes among children and young people who die by suicide and provides recommendations on how to prevent suicide in this group.
- The NICE guideline, Preventing suicide in community and custodial settings (PDF), provides recommendations to reduce suicide and help people bereaved or affected by suicide in community and custodial settings.
- North East & North Cumbria COVID-19 mental health support (PDF).
Working Well Together
The NCCMH developed the Working Well Together resource to provide evidence and tools that help mental health care services to embed co-production into their service. You can use this resource to help you embed co-production into your work to reduce suicide and self-harm.
Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria – Co-production slide
You can use the co-production slides (PDF) for advice on how you can embed co-production into your work and to learn how Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria have successfully embedded co-production.
MIND’s Wellbeing and mental health support in the emergency services (2019) (PDF) provides learning and key recommendations to improve wellbeing and mental health support for people working in emergency services based on evidence from their Blue Light Programme.
The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute’s A Silent Killer: Breaking the link between financial difficulty and suicide (2018) (PDF) looks at how financial difficulties can lead to an increased risk of suicide and recommendations to prevent suicide in people facing financial difficulty.
Research shows a link between media coverage of suicide and an increase in suicidal behaviour. You can use the Samaritans Media Guidelines to learn how to report on suicide and self-harm safely.
Suicide in primary care in England: 2002-2011
The NCISH report, Suicide in primary care in England: 2002-2011 (PDF) examines aspects of primary health care prior to suicide and provides recommendations to improve prevention.
Strengthening the frontline: Investing in primary care for effective suicide prevention
The Samaritans report, Strengthening the frontline: Investing in primary care for effective suicide prevention (2019) (PDF), identifies areas of primary care that need to be improved to strengthen suicide prevention and provides recommendations to implement these.
Papyrus and Universities UK developed the Suicide safer universities guide to help university leaders prevent student suicide.
In May 2019, in England and Wales, the standard of proof for suicide at inquest was lowered. Suicide can now be concluded on the “balance of probabilities”. The New standard of proof for suicide at inquest in England and Wales (2019) (PDF) explains this and how the change will affect suicide rates.
The Samaritans and the University of Exeter conducted research into suicide prevention planning within and across local authorities in England. The Local suicide prevention planning in England: An independent progress report (2019) (PDF) explains the findings from this research and provides recommendations that local areas can implement.
- The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) report on Suicide by occupation: England: 2011 to 2015 (2017) (PDF) analyses deaths from suicide across different occupations to inform interventions to prevent suicide and shows influences on suicides.
- The ONS published a 2019 statistical bulletin: Suicides in England and Wales: 2019 registrations. This looks at registered deaths in England and Wales from suicide analysed by sex, age, area of usual residence of the deceased and suicide method.
Self-harm and suicide prevention competency frameworks
The NCCMH developed competency frameworks to provide recommendations on how to support people who self-harm and/or are suicidal. If you are a clinician or service commissioner, you can read the three frameworks that provide advice on how to support children and young people, adults and older adults, and the public. If you are a service user or carer, you can read the guide that explains these frameworks.
Training providers
The following organisations offer a range of courses around suicide:
You can find out more about suicide bereavement services for people living in West Yorkshire and Harrogate (PDF), in this flyer provided by Leeds Mind and West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership.
