Commissioned by the Collaborative, Harmless CIC, the centre of excellence for self-harm and suicide prevention service in the UK, have delivered self-harm training to nearly 350 people across Cheshire and Merseyside over the past year.
Delivered through a virtual classroom, some training was adult focussed, some was children and young people focussed, and some had a mixed focus of both.
Self-harm is a high-risk factor for attempting suicide. Around half of people who complete suicide have self-harmed at some point in their lives, and of those who present to hospital with self-harm, one in 50 will die within the year.
Through the bespoke training, 347 participants were given the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of self-harm; identify the impact of stigma and how to reduce potential barriers to support; learn to provide effective risk assessment and safety planning when supporting those in distress; enhance own working practice, knowledge and skills; and to feel more confident supporting people who self-harm in the short and long term.
The training has been incredibly well received with the following just some of the feedback given:
“The training was really insightful and real. I liked the breakout rooms element. It was a good length of time for the amount of content covered. Overall fabulous training.”
“The training was brilliant, lots of surprising statistics and facts around self-harm. It was lovely how the facilitator shared her own lived experience of self-harm which was very brave of her and offered a great insight into how one moment at 8 years of age started her self-harm journey. It was really thought provoking and moving. Also, the significance of not assuming the method of self-harm used lessens the seriousness of the underlying problem.”
“The training was very informative and had lots of interesting points. I liked that key research was shared as was discussion around the importance of more research needed in this area. Helpful/accessible strategies were shared, and I really liked the take 10 mins strategy. The trainer was very knowledgeable and delivered in a clear and confident way.”
“It was really interesting to think about the function of self-harm and the underlying emotions in order to suggest appropriate alternatives/ coping mechanisms to the children and young people we work with as this is something I had not considered before the training”.
“Probably the best course I have ever been on. The course felt like it was designed and delivered with a practical and true to life knowledge of self-harm”.
To find out more about Harmless CIC or to enquire about training for your area, visit https://harmless.org.uk