Introduction to the Guidance

 

Local and national data suggest that rates of self-harm amongst children and young people are increasing alongside concerns about mental health more generally. Data collected by Samaritans also suggests that self-harm behaviours often emerge during adolescence, however, low numbers of adolescents seek support from adults in educational and wider youth settings (Samaritans, 2020).  The same survey identified that in education and youth settings, staff express a lack of knowledge and confidence in talking to young people about self-harm preventing them from effectively recognising and responding to self-harm.

 

This practitioner guidance has been developed with the intention of guiding and supporting practitioners from all sectors and services in East Renfrewshire Council working with children and young people to recognise and respond in situations where a child or young person is considered at risk of self-harming behaviours or is engaging in self-harming behaviours. We hope this guidance will serve to increase the awareness, understanding and confidence of practitioners working in these settings in order to enhance the likelihood that young people will seek support and access early intervention which is crucial to improving outcomes.

 

The principal aims of this guide:

• Provide practitioners with clear guidance and procedures for supporting anyone engaging in, disclosing, or at risk of self-harming behaviour
• Support practitioners to carry out an initial risk assessment and take appropriate action
• Minimise immediate risk and harm by guiding practitioners to provide caring and compassionate, practical and emotional support to the young person as a first response
• Consider the support needs of parents or carers and other family members
• Highlight a range of local and national organisations which can provide effective support, information and guidance
• Consider preventative approaches which enhance the resilience and coping responses of young people to reduce the risk of self-harm
• Encourage organisations to consider how practitioners are supported and cared for when responding to self-harming behaviour

 

Self-harm can affect people of any age and as such this guidance will be useful for practitioners working with children and young people of any age.

 

The East Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee Young Persons’ Safety Planning Protocol explicitly identifies serious incidents of self-harm as one of the criteria for referral for multi-agency assessment, planning and decision making. As such these guidelines should be considered alongside this document.

 

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