‘Working together to reduce suicide and self harm’ Forum Kick Start Event
Dr. Ed Roberts (Vice Chair of Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board) chaired the event; drawing on experiences from his professional career, he set the context leading on to introduce each of the speakers for the morning session. Phill Chick (National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Healthcare) gave an overview of the National Action Plan and the need for targeting high risk groups. Simon Hatch (Samaritans) described the Samaritans’ 5 year strategy for Wales and emphasised the role that volunteers play in delivering this. Alan Briscoe (Mind Cymru) highlighted the need to provide training for all working in front-line services with a case study from an individual who used an intervention after attending Applied Skills Intervention Skills Training. The morning session also saw the launch of the ‘Welsh youth consultation on suicide and help seeking behaviours’ research commissioned by Mind Cymru's Positive Choices project in consultation with Public Health Wales.
Despite the snow and ice more than fifty delegates from varied organisations including the statutory, voluntary and private sectors attended. Feedback showed that those present found the event was informative and inspiring with good discussions happening throughout the day. The opportunity to network and link with colleagues and peers was also highly valued.
The afternoon workshops were varied and shared good practice. The Inspire Youth Work in Hospital Project described by an innovative response to the needs of young people who self harm; Siaradwn Ni/Lets Talk project gave a presentation on the work being carried out in Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot County Boroughs; Sonja Hookway of Swansea University Wellbing Services explored the challenges of supporting a large and diverse student population and Bridgend County Borough Council’s Communications department gave a workshop on managing the coverage of suicide in the media. All workshops were well attended and thought provoking, and were followed with interesting discussions as to how to take the work of the forum forward. These ideas will influence the development of mechanisms to keep people informed and will form the basis of the planning of future regular regional meetings.
The Mid & South West Wales Suicide & Self-harm Reduction
Forum is a newly formed, multi-agency and multi-disciplinary group with
membership from Hywel Dda , Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University and Powys
Teaching Health Boards; Mind Cymru's Positive Choices Project; the
Samaritans; Mind Aberystwyth; the Siaradwn Ni Project and other
statutory and third sector organisations from the region.
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