Duration: 6 Hours of learning Max no of learners: 16
Target Audience
Care, Support & Clinical staff in a variety of settings:
Psychiatric hospitals, supported living for mental health, learning disability and autism.
Housing Support Teams & Probation teams who are providing direct care and support to those at risk of self-harm or suicide.
This course is delivered using a range of methods and resources including:
Face to Face tutor participative facilitation (whether in the classroom or online), scenarios for group discussions, polls, question and answer time, videos and end of session assessment.
This course has been developed and mapped to current occupational standards, qualification frameworks and the following documents and resources:
- NCISH (National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide & Safety in Mental Health) report 2023
- CQC brief guide: substance misuse services – ligature risks
- Brief Guide: Ligature anchor points, ligatures and other means of self-harm using fixtures and furniture (2022)
- Self-harm and suicide prevention competence framework for working with children & young people (2018)
- Self-harm and suicide prevention competence framework for working with adults & older adults (2018)
- NHS & Health Education England: Self-harm & suicide prevention competence framework – what does the competence framework mean for my care? (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health UCL) 2018
NB for online training: it is recommended that each learner has their own laptop/computer/tablet as the course is interactive. Having all the learners in one room is not conducive to participative/interactive learning.
The course is aimed at learners at levels 3 to 5 (post A levels)
Learning Outcomes
After attending this course, learners will be able to:
- Discuss self-harm (NSSI) as defined in the diagnostic criteria (DSM 5 & ICD 11)
- Identify 3 categories of NSSI
- Discuss basic first aid in response to NSSI
- Identify triggers to NSSI
- Offer support to those who self-harm (distractions)
- Understand the link between NSSI and suicide
- Discuss common reasons why people may take their lives
- Discuss statistics around suicide
- Define and identify materials that can be used as a ligature
- Differentiate between hanging and strangulation
- Understand the mechanism of ligature on the body with related response timing
- Ask specific questions around suicide intentionality
- Understand the risk areas around hanging and strangulation
- Define and identify ligature anchor points
- Differentiate between self-harm (Non-suicidal self-injury) and suicide
- Recognise a variety of ligature cutters and which materials they are useful for
- Implement a standard operating procedure or incident response plan on finding a person who has ligatured
- Watch a demonstration of how to use the cutters if training is online or if training is in person – utilise the ligature cutters to remove ligatures from a model.
| Time breakdown | From | To | Minutes |
| Registration | 09:15 | 09:30 | 15 |
| Session 1 | 09:30 | 10:40 | 70 |
| AM tea break | 10:40 | 11:00 | 20 |
| Session 2 | 11:00 | 12:40 | 70 |
| Lunch | 12:40 | 13:20 | 40 |
| Session 3 | 13:20 | 14:40 | 70 |
| PM tea break | 14:40 | 15:00 | 20 |
| Session 3 | 15:00 | 16:10 | 70 |
| Assessment | 16:10 | 16:30 | 20 |
Entry requirements – No prerequisites required
Assessment type – General T/F or MCQ’s at the end of the course
Certification/Qualification – Downloadable certificate of attendance
All courses are accompanied by instructional materials.
Related courses:
- Suicide conversations
- Depression
- Emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) or (BPD)
- Psychosis