New approach to reducing suicide in Scotland
At the end of September last year, the Scottish Government and COSLA launched a new long-term strategy for suicide prevention, Creating Hope Together. On Thursday (28th June) the next, important step in that journey took place with an event at Borders College in Galashiels …
Suicide prevention will be ramped up as the Government and COSLA publish a 10-year strategy to tackle the factors and inequalities that can lead to suicide.
The strategy will draw on levers across national and local government to address the underlying social issues that can cause people to feel suicidal, while making sure the right support is there for people and their families.
This fresh approach will help people at the earliest possible opportunity and aim to reduce the number of suicides – ensuring efforts to tackle issues such as poverty, debt, and addiction include measures to address suicide.
The Scottish Government will fund the Scottish Recovery Network as part of the initial three-year action plan. This will boost community peer-support groups to allow people to discuss their feelings and drive down suicide.
The strategy is supported by record funding through the Programme for Government commitment to double the annual budget to £2.8 million by 2025-2026. It will build on the work of the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group and continue delivering the existing ‘Every Life Matters’ action plan.
Launching the ‘Creating Hope Together: Scotland’s Suicide Prevention Strategy 2022-2032’, Mental Wellbeing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “Every death by suicide is a tragedy and, while the number of deaths have fallen in recent years, I want to use every lever at our disposal to drive that down further.
“That’s why we are taking a new approach to suicide prevention – considering all the social issues that can lead people to feel suicidal, while supporting those contemplating suicide and their loved ones.
“Peer support is an effective way to support people in their communities, helping them to feel heard and understood. I’m pleased this strategy will provide funding for the Scottish Recovery Network to continue its vital work for people experiencing – and recovering from – mental health issues.”
Councillor Kelly, the COSLA Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This approach to suicide prevention will build on the work taking place across local areas in Scotland.
“It will see the partnerships across communities strengthened and build on the collaboration between local and national work to ensure we share the knowledge and insights to help drive suicide prevention forward.
“This strategy will see work which reaches into new areas beyond the traditional settings of health and social care such as education, justice and physical activity, so we can truly see suicide prevention as Everyone’s Business.”
An important part of the new strategy and action plan is the launch of a new delivery model which we’re calling Suicide Prevention Scotland to drive the action plan.
The model is actually really simple.
We’re a community of people working together across different parts of Scotland to prevent suicide across our country. We will be developing strong partnerships, and using these to learn from best practice
Whether at local or national level, or within a key sector, we’re working as one group, to deliver a range of meaningful programmes of work as set out in the action plan.
Everything we do will be informed by the critical insight of lived, academic, professional and practice experience.
APPOINTMENT OF NATIONAL DELIVERY LEAD FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION
Haylis Smith has been appointed to lead delivery of the action plan on behalf of the Scottish Government and COSLA, as the Suicide Prevention Scotland National Delivery Lead.
This is a new role, and Haylis brings more than two decades of experience leading work to prevent suicide.
STRATEGIC OUTCOME LEADS ANNOUNCED
The Creating Hope Together strategy has four key outcomes.
These are the areas the strategy sets out where real change is needed to prevent suicide.
To develop a partnership approach to the work, a strategic partner(s) has been appointed to drive delivery. They are:
- Creating a safer environment that protects against suicide – Samaritans
- Improving understanding of suicide and tackling stigma – SAMH
- Providing compassionate support for anyone affected by suicide – Penumbra & Change Mental Health
- Working in a connected way, that always draws on evidence and lived experience – Public Health Scotland
As we move forward, we expect even more new partnerships and alliances to be created to deliver the action plan.
This is an important part of the culture we’re creating in our Suicide Prevention Scotland.
OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK
The Scottish Government and COSLA today also published an outcomes framework.
This sets out how our actions will build over the next ten years to achieve our vision of reducing suicide, whilst tackling the inequalities which contribute to suicide. It will support how we plan, measure and report the difference we are making on the ground.
You can read the document here.
YEAR ONE PRIORITIES
With a new innovative delivery partnership in place, the Scottish Government and COSLA have identified priorities for the first year of the strategy, with a real focus on reaching people with a higher risk of suicide.
These have been informed by people with professional, academic, lived and practice experience.
They are:
- We will activate the whole of Government and society policy package — so that a wide range of Government policies and their delivery on the ground — are working to prevent suicide. We will make the strongest connections possible with policies which address the social determinants of suicide, such as poverty and homelessness. We will also make sure we use all the touch points that people have with services to proactively be alert to suicide risk and offer compassionate support.
- We will focus on improving safety at key locations of concern for suicide.
- We will build on the Time Space Compassion approach, to keep improving the way people are supported and cared for when they are suicidal. We will focus our work in primary care, unscheduled care, and community settings.
- We will support new peer support groups right across Scotland.
- We will build more understanding of suicide risk and behaviour amongst children and young people and use that to improve responses.
- We will keep raising awareness and improving learning about suicide. We will target our work, so we build this understanding in sectors that support groups with a higher risk of suicide. Our current work in West Highlands and Skye will help us build greater understanding of what encourages particular groups to seek help.
- We will develop an online portal which hosts information and advice on suicide, to help people who may be suicidal and anyone worried for someone, as well as professionals.
- We will roll-out suicide reviews and improve data to help redesign the way support is given to people who are suicidal — ensuring that support is both timely and effective.
- We will work with partners in high-risk settings for suicide, to build effective and compassionate suicide prevention action plans.
- And last but not least, we will step up our United to Prevent Suicide social movement with a new focus on boosting employer engagement and reaching groups most likely to be affected by suicide. We will continue to be creative, using different mediums, such as sport and social media, to tackle stigma and create ways for people to talk safely about suicide.
A NEW ADVISORY GROUP
The new National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group will play a vital role.
They will provide independent assurance and advice to the Scottish Government and COSLA on progress, informed by the new outcomes framework.
Rose Fitzpatrick CBE QPM will chair this new group.
Its members represent many of the sectors leading work on the social determinants of suicide, including poverty, as well as partners who are working in key sectors affected by suicide — such as the criminal justice sector.
Members have all been selected to help us understand suicide better.
They will help us sharpen focus on the complexity, intersectionality and inequality of suicide.
Doing so will help us deliver impactful actions. We are sure their collective professional insights and passion for the mission, will also make a great difference to our work.
The new group’s membership is:
- Rose Fitzpatrick CBE QPM — Chair
- Cath Denholm — Executive Director, Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland
- Dr Linda Findlay — Chair, Royal College of Psychiatrists Scotland
- Louise Hunter — Chief Executive, Who Cares? Scotland
- Dr Douglas Hutchison — President of the Association of Directors of Education Scotland
- Peter Kelly — Director, Poverty Alliance
- Sheriff David Mackie — Board Member, Scottish Association for the Care and Rehabilitation of Offenders
- Catherine McWilliam — Director of Nations, Institute of Directors
- Brendan Rooney — Executive Director, Healthy n Happy Community Development Trust
- Dr Andrea Williamson — Professor of General Practice and Inclusion Health, University of Glasgow
CREATING HOPE IN THE SCOTTISH BORDERS
As part of today’s Go Live event in Galashiels, we’ve published a new film that explores suicide prevention work in the Scottish Borders. It tells the story of how the local approach has been refreshed in light of the new national strategy’s approach.
Highlighting the range and depth of partnerships across the area, we hear powerful stories of how a community is coming together to prevent suicide.
Watch/download: Creating Hope in the Scottish Borders
You are welcome to use this video, crediting Suicide Prevention Scotland. Please do note edit the video. Closed caption files are available, here.
REFLECTING ON TODAY’S UPDATES
Suicide Prevention Scotland’s new National Delivery Lead Haylis Smith has welcomed today’s announcements: “There has been a huge amount of detailed work over the last eight months to operationalise the Creating Hope Together strategy and action plan.
“Our delivery collective, Suicide Prevention Scotland, is an innovative approach to working together as a suicide prevention community.
“It includes people working across the public, private, and third sectors as well as community groups. Importantly, it also includes many people with lived experience of suicide. This approach builds on the work of the last five years.
“The shared goal is — of course — to prevent suicide, but we’re also focused on how we’ll do this. We will create safer environments, understand better the factors which contribute to suicide, and provide support to those affected. And we will work collaboratively, using evidence and the insight of those with lived experience.
“It’s also important to stress that our work will also focus on addressing inequalities and the needs of those at higher risk of suicide. This will include work to address the needs of children and young people. Our Youth Advisory Group will play a key role in supporting this.”
Minister for Mental Health Maree Todd MSP said: “Together with COSLA we are fully committed to reducing suicide deaths in Scotland.
“This announcement of our year one priorities is a real milestone in delivering our new ambitious strategy Creating Hope Together, and we are focusing on reaching people who may be at risk of suicide and working to tackle the inequalities which can lead to suicide.
“Our new innovative partnership model is now in place to deliver this ambition programme of work, and our new Advisory Group brings great expertise and impartiality to oversee and champion the work, making sure our work leads to real change on the ground right across Scotland.
“I am pleased to say that the Scottish Government is well on track to doubling the suicide prevention budget by 2026, with funding last year well over £2 million.
“I would like to pay real thanks to the Suicide Prevention Lived Experience Panel and Youth Advisory Group, and all partners. I look forward to undertaking this incredibly important work together.”
COSLA’s Health & Social Care spokesperson Councillor Paul Kelly said: “I am delighted that COSLA is part of the newly announced suicide prevention delivery collective, ‘Suicide Prevention Scotland’.
“We were proud to launch Creating Hope Together — an ambitious Suicide Prevention Strategy — with the Scottish Government last year.
“The announcements today represent a key milestone for the strategy, and one which recognises that we can ultimately support more people who are affected by suicide when we work in partnership.
“The National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group’s membership brings a broad range of expertise and experience which will also help us understand how we can better address the inequalities people experience.
“The strategy outcomes are ambitious and rightly so — together we can and will reduce the number of suicide deaths in Scotland.
“We thank those working in suicide prevention in Scotland for their ongoing commitment and are looking forward to continuing this vital work.”
Media colleagues are encouraged to follow best practice when reporting on suicide. In particular, we recommend the Samaritans guidelines.
We also encourage calling out for people who may be at risk and recommend the following:
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health or feeling suicidal, please don’t hesitate to ask for help by contacting your GP, NHS24 on 111, Samaritans on 116 123 or Breathing Space on 0800 83 58 87.
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