Question reference: S6W-23329
- Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 27 November 2023
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Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Maree Todd on 28 November 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting people affected by self-harm in Scotland.
Answer
Scotland's Self-Harm Strategy and Action Plan 2023-27 has been published today by Scottish Government and COSLA. This strategy – which is a world first in its dedicated focus on self-harm - is an early deliverable from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan published earlier this month.
The views of people with lived experience of self-harm, and insights from services that support them are at the centre of the strategy. This has shaped our vision, which is for people who have self-harmed, of who are thinking of self-harming, to receive compassionate, recovery-focused support, without fear of stigma or discrimination.
- The three year action plan – which will prioritise support for people which evidence suggests are at higher risk of self-harm - focuses on three areas:deepening knowledge and compassionate understanding of self-harm to reduce stigma and discrimination;
- building support and services across Scotland;
- and improving and sharing data and evidence.
We have already invested £1.5m in the development of new, bespoke self-harm support services over the last two years through Self-Harm Network Scotland, and early evidence shows this is having a positive impact. We are committing a further £1.5 million to back delivery of the action plan, and this will secure the continuation of these vital services over the next 2 years (2024-25 and 2025-26).
We are extremely grateful to all the people who have contributed to this important work over the last 18 months, particularly those who shared their own experiences of self-harm to help shape our approach.