Multi-agency Self-harm and Suicide Prevention Awareness Raising

We welcome the submission of collaborative bids for this contract from organisations with skills and experience in raising awareness, delivering training, and supporting the practice development of practitioners who have face to face contact with children and young people who are self-harming and/or may be at risk of suicide in every district across the county.

Many workers, practitioners and professional staff working directly with children and young people across statutory, acute, community and third sector provided services have expressed that they feel unprepared to ask young people direct questions about suicide and self-harm, through fear of the answer and uncertainty about what to do next. All those who work children and young people need to feel reassured that if a child/young person comes to them to express their thoughts then that is often because they see that person as a ‘trusted adult’ who has shown in some way that they can listen and help. They also need to feel confident in being ‘helpfully nosey’ if concerned that a young person may be self harming or at risk of suicide.
The aim of this contract is to support the building of the required knowledge, skills and confidence in key areas of the children and young people’s workforce across both statutory and third sector settings. (And supporting the work being undertaken by CPFT in offering training and advice working in acute NHS settings)