PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide has been given funding to deliver suicide prevention training to schools across every London borough. PAPYRUS believes that suicide is everybody’s business and only by engaging everyone can a community become suicide safer.
Over 200 school aged children are lost to suicide each year PAPYRUS believes that something needs to happen now to reduce that number and keep our young people safe. While there have been moves to prioritise the emotional health and mental wellbeing of young people, fewer people are talking about suicide prevention. Stigma, silence and misconceptions around suicide means that it is often not part of normal conversation.
So far Bromley, Greenwich and Bexley have received the training and 75 schools have been supported. 12 other boroughs have dates booked and PAPYRUS is inviting Haringey schools to take part.
What does the funding cover?
One place per school (maximum of 30 people) on a three-hour Identifying and Talking about Suicide training course.
This training will be offered on a first come, first serve basis and is aimed at safeguarding leads, pastoral leads or deputy heads. Many young people experiencing thoughts of suicide show or give signs which ‘invite’ those around them to explore whether they may be thinking about suicide. Participants on this training will learn what these ‘invitations’ look like, how to respond to them and how to work with that person to keep them suicide-safe – including, where necessary, which support or organisations to signpost.
One place per borough on Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).
ASIST trains participants to reduce the immediate risk of a suicide and increase the support for a person at risk. The workshop helps participants to recognise what a person at risk may need from others in order to keep safe and get help.
Please note that if you apply to attend the Identifying and Talking about Suicide training course, you cannot apply for a place on ASIST.
What do you need to do next?
If you are interested in the project, please contact London@papyrus-uk.org naming your school, your role and your borough.
Please note that the funding is for secondary schools. If you are not in a secondary setting but are interested in getting to know more PAPYRUS, then please email us.