Suicide First Aid

Suicide First Aid: Understanding Suicide Intervention

(face-to-face and online delivery available)

The SFA:USI learning experience is a one-day training course that has been accredited by City & Guilds and is the UK’s National Accredited Unit of Learning in Suicide Prevention.

This course can be taught in both a professional and personal setting and is designed for anyone who seeks greater understanding and confidence to intervene with people at risk of suicide.

Available as a face-to-face course, the SFA:USI content is split into 4 parts and teaches and practices the skills and knowledge needed to identify someone who may be thinking about suicide and competently intervene to help create a suicide-safety guide as a first aid approach.

This is a highly interactive and emotionally engaging learning experience.

Why Suicide First Aid?

- Suicide is a major cause of preventable death, yet 6,507 people died by suicide in the UK in 2018

- Those who are emotionally injured by suicide are at an increased risk of experience suicide thoughts

- Therefore, the human and economic cost of suicide is huge – if we can prevent suicide, we can reduce the impact and cost of suicide

- Upon completion, participants feel more confident with skills and knowledge to keep someone safe from suicide

- Demonstrate GOLD standard – Setting the “Gold Standard in Suicide Prevention Training” – Dr Paul Rogers

Course Content

Part 1 (90 mins)

• Introduction to the day; programme; ourselves and suicide prevention
• Stigma, Survivors of bereavement by suicide and the Hidden Toll
• Suicide thoughts and suicide behaviour
• Intention of behaviour Versus Outcome of behaviour
• Possible Causes of Suicide thoughts

Part 2 (90 mins)

• Suicide – the Ripple Effect
• Population-based approach to suicide prevention
• Partnership working
• Working with attitudes and values
• “I’m so glad you told me” - Audio visual

Part 3 (90 mins)

• Meeting the needs of a person who is thinking about suicide
• Suicide-Safety Guide
• Step 1 – Recognising suicide and asking about suicide
• Step 2 – Understanding options

Part 4 (90 mins)

• Step 3 – Safeguarding suicide
• Suicide-safety and self-care
• The risk assessment approach
• Suicide and suicide gestures
• Future learning

Methods of delivery

Taught over 6 hours using tutor facilitated Socratic learning, tutor-led practise session, mini lectures, group work and audio-visual presentations. This is a highly interactive and emotionally engaging learning experience.

Pre-training requirement:

No previous experience or training is necessary. Participants will be asked to self- reflect and empathise with a person having thoughts of suicide. There is no expectation on participants to share personal experiences.

Who could attend?

Multi-sector managers and practitioners including health, housing, social care, education, criminal justice, call centre operators, private, voluntary and public sector workers and community groups or members.

Accreditation

Participants can choose to register for the City and Guilds accredited unit of learning for an additional fee of £85 per person. This involves completion of a written assignment.

Course numbers

Attendee numbers are recommended at a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 16 per group and each will receive:

-        Comprehensive course materials

-        A certificate upon completion of the course

About Suicide First Aid Lite

The SFA Lite learning experience is a half-day course (3.5 hours) that can be taught in both a professional and personal setting and is designed for anyone who seeks greater understanding and confidence to intervene with people at risk of suicide.

Available as a face-to-face and virtual course, the SFA Lite course gives learners the knowledge and tools to understand that suicide is one of the most preventable deaths and some basic skills that can help someone with thoughts of suicide stay safe from their thoughts and stay alive. 

The content is split into two parts and teaches skills and knowledge needed to identify someone who may be thinking about suicide, engage in a conversation and pass the person onto a suicide first aider or other support. 

This is a highly interactive and emotionally engaging learning experience.

Course Content

Part 1 (90 mins)

• Introduction to the day; programme; ourselves and suicide prevention 
• Stigma, Survivors of bereavement by suicide and the Hidden Toll
• Suicide thoughts and suicide behaviour
• Intention of behaviour versus outcome of behaviour 
• Possible Causes of Suicide thoughts
• Suicide – the ripple effect

Part 2 (90 mins)

• ‘I’m really glad you told me’ Audio visual
• Suicide Safety Guidance
• Recognising and asking about suicide
• Referring a person onto suicide first aiders

Suicide First Aid Lite (Virtual) training offers learning outcomes that are knowledge based and factual. This training can be used as a stand-alone programme or as the first part of a journey to learn suicide prevention skills. 

The one-day programme Suicide First Aid through Understanding Suicide Interventions is a City & Guilds qualification programme and the next step for people wanting a more in-depth practise-based approach to the learning. The information in SFA Lite is easy to grasp for people of all skill levels and those with no prior knowledge of the subject. It is designed to meet the needs of different groups and could be used as a forerunner to the one-day Suicide First Aid Programme. 

Evidence Base

Two independent evaluations in 2016 and 2017 by Dr Paul Rogers demonstrated significant statistical change in 14 of 19 measures. Increased confidence and reduced anxiety in dealing with suicide, were among the leading outcomes. 

Methods of delivery

Taught over 3.5 hours using tutor facilitated Socratic learning, tutor-led practise sessions, mini lectures, group work and audio-visual presentations. This has some interactive elements and is an emotionally engaging learning experience. 

Pre-training requirement

No previous experience or training is necessary. Participants will be asked to self- reflect and empathise with a person having thoughts of suicide. There is no expectation on participants to share personal experiences. 

Who could attend? 

Multi-sector managers and practitioners including health, housing, social care, education, criminal justice, call centre operators, private, voluntary and public sector workers and community groups or members. 

Course numbers

Attendee numbers are recommended at a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 20 per group and each will receive:

-        Comprehensive course materials

-        A certificate upon completion of the course