SFA 11 - SFA:USI Children & Young People

Description

This programme provides Learners with the foundational knowledge and practical skills needed to effectively intervene in situations where a young person may be contemplating suicide in any educative setting.

Designed for individuals working in education or roles related to working with young people, this programme equips you with the tools to recognise the signs of suicide thoughts and behaviour. It shows you how to initiate lifesaving conversations and connect young people with appropriate resources. Whether you're a healthcare professional, educator, HR personnel, community leader, or concerned family member, this programme empowers you to make a real difference.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• Understanding Suicide: Gain insights into the complex factors that can lead to suicide thoughts and behaviours in young people experiencing acute stress, including school pressures, mental health challenges, and societal factors.
• Recognising the Signs in young people: Learn how to identify the verbal, behavioural, and situational indicators that someone may be at thinking about suicide.
• Effective Communication Techniques for Distressed young poeple: Develop skills to engage in sensitive and supportive conversations tailored to those struggling, helping to de-escalate crises and offer hope.
• Immediate Intervention Strategies for Thougths of Suicide: Acquire practical tools and approaches for providing immediate support to young people vulnerable to suicide, including how to refer them to mental health professionals and counselling services.
• Ethical Considerations in Suicide Prevention: Understand the ethical and safeguarding responsibilities involved in suicide prevention within the context of supporting young people, including confidentiality, consent, and the importance of self-care.

What you will learn

Part 1: Understanding the Impact of Suicide Thoughts and Behaviour

• Introduction & Programme Outline: Overview of the programmes and its objectives, focusing on the relationship between suicide thoughts and suicide behaviour.
• Working with Attitudes & Values: Explore how personal and societal attitudes toward mental health can influence suicide thoughts.
• Stigma, Survivors of Suicides, and the Hidden Toll®: Understand the hidden emotional burden carried by those left behind after a suicide.
• Suicide – The Ripple Effect®: Review statistics on how different factors contribute to suicide behaviour and its broader impact on communities.
• Understanding Adolescent Brain Development: Learn about a young person's brain and its ability to take risks.
• Understanding Suicide Thoughts and Behaviours: Learn about the different factors that can lead to thoughts of suicide.
• Intention vs. Outcome of Behaviour®: Examine the differences between a young person's intentions and the actual outcomes of their actions.
• Possible Causes of Suicide Thoughts: Identify the potential triggers of suicide thoughts in young people.

Part 2: Strategic Approaches to Suicide Prevention.

• Population-Based Approach to Suicide Prevention: Explore strategies to prevent suicide on a broader scale.
• Suicide Prevention – Intervention – Postvention: Learn the key stages of suicide prevention, from early intervention to postvention support.
• Partnership Working – First Aid Approach: Understand how to collaborate effectively with others to provide Suicide First Aid® to young people.
• “I’m Really Glad You Told Me”®: Watch a powerful audio-visual presentation featuring real-life scenarios and teachers in a school who have successfully intervened in cases of suicide.

Part 3: Practical Skills for Supporting Young People

• Meeting the Needs of a Person Contemplating Suicide: Learn how to address the specific needs of young people who has suicide thoughts.
• Suicide-Safety Guide – 3 Step Model:
• Step 1 – Recognising Suicide Thoughts: Understand how to identify warning signs and ask the right questions in conversations.
• Step 2 – Listening to Understand and Exploring Options: Explore the importance of listening and how to discuss and explore different support options with a young person having thoughts of suicide.

Part 4: Ensuring Safety and Self-Care in Suicide Prevention

• Step 3 – Helping You Cope: Strategies for supporting both the young person with thoughts of suicide and yourself through challenging situations.
• Future Learning: Learn effective ways to document interventions and identify opportunities for ongoing education and development in suicide prevention.
• Self-Care for Suicide First Aiders®: Understand the importance of self-care and how to manage the emotional impact of working with those affected by suicide.