{"id":117,"date":"2026-04-01T16:49:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T15:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/educationcpandsafeguarding\/?page_id=117"},"modified":"2026-04-01T16:49:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T15:49:11","slug":"suicide-suicidal-ideation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/educationcpandsafeguarding\/suicide-suicidal-ideation\/","title":{"rendered":"Suicide &amp; Suicidal Ideation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Suicide and suicidal ideation among children and young people are serious concerns that require immediate, sensitive, and coordinated responses. Suicidal ideation can range from fleeting thoughts about death to active planning, and may not always be openly expressed. For Child Protection Coordinators (CPCs), any indication of suicidal thinking must be treated as a safeguarding concern.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In Scotland, responding to suicide risk aligns with the principles of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/policies\/girfec\/\">Getting it Right for Every Child<\/a>, ensuring that children receive the right support at the right time, with their wellbeing and safety at the centre.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recognising the Signs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Children and young people may communicate distress in different ways. Staff should remain alert to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Expressions of hopelessness, worthlessness, or feeling like a burden<\/li>\n<li>Talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide<\/li>\n<li>Withdrawal from friends, family, or activities<\/li>\n<li>Significant changes in mood or behaviour<\/li>\n<li>Risk-taking or self-harming behaviours<\/li>\n<li>Giving away possessions or saying goodbye<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is important to recognise that not all young people will show obvious signs. Professional curiosity and strong relationships are key.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Responding to Concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If a child or young person expresses suicidal thoughts or intent:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Take all concerns seriously and act immediately<\/li>\n<li>Stay with the young person if there is immediate risk<\/li>\n<li>Listen calmly and non-judgementally<\/li>\n<li>Do not promise confidentiality<\/li>\n<li>Report to the Child Protection Coordinator or senior leader without delay<\/li>\n<li>Contact emergency services if there is an immediate danger<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All concerns should be recorded factually and shared in line with local procedures and the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/publications\/national-guidance-child-protection-scotland-2021-updated-2023\/documents\/\"> National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Support and Next Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CPCs should ensure:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Appropriate risk assessment and safety planning is undertaken<\/li>\n<li>Parents\/carers are informed as appropritae<\/li>\n<li>Referrals are made to relevant services<\/li>\n<li>Ongoing support is coordinated through a Child\u2019s Plan where required<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Multi-agency working is essential to ensure the child receives appropriate and timely support.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Prevention and Early Intervention<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Promoting emotional wellbeing, resilience, and connectedness within schools is key to prevention. CPCs should support:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Staff awareness and professional learning<\/li>\n<li>Safe spaces for young people to talk<\/li>\n<li>Early identification of distress<\/li>\n<li>A whole-school, trauma-informed approach<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Suicide risk must always be treated as a child protection and wellbeing concern. Prompt, compassionate, and coordinated action can make a critical difference in keeping children and young people safe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Suicide and suicidal ideation among children and young people are serious concerns that require immediate, sensitive, and coordinated responses. Suicidal ideation can range from fleeting thoughts about death to active planning, and may not always be openly expressed. For Child Protection Coordinators (CPCs), any indication of suicidal thinking must be treated as a safeguarding concern. In Scotland, responding to suicide risk aligns with the principles of Getting it Right for<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/educationcpandsafeguarding\/suicide-suicidal-ideation\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20564,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-117","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/educationcpandsafeguarding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/educationcpandsafeguarding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/educationcpandsafeguarding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/educationcpandsafeguarding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20564"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/educationcpandsafeguarding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/educationcpandsafeguarding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/educationcpandsafeguarding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/117\/revisions\/118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/dg\/educationcpandsafeguarding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}