Chamber and committees

The Choose Life suicide preventionstrategy and action plan is implemented through actions plans agreed bycommunity planning partnerships in local authority areas. As at January 2006, there are approximately 50 part orfully funded Choose Life initiatives across Scotland where self harm is identifiedas a key aim of local Choose Life action plans. The Choose Life strategy includesonly those aspects of self-harming behaviour which might be considered as an indicationof the risk of suicide. Choose Life receives funding of £8.6 million from 2006 to2008.

Full details of all local ChooseLife action plans can be viewed at www.chooselife.net.

The Additional Support forLearning Act 2004 provides a framework for the provision of support to childrenand young people who have additional support needs. Additional support needs canarise from a range of factors and circumstances and may include children and youngpeople who self-harm.

The Scottish Executive currentlyhas no plans to commission any specific research on the extent of self harmingincidents in the past 10 years.

Information relating tohospital discharges with a diagnosis of self-harm is already available, as aredata relating to numbers of self-harm incidents in prisons and young offenders’institutions.

Establishing accurateprevalence rates is problematic because many self-harm injuries are untreated,or treated at home, so do not reach the attention of services or professionals.

NHS boards,through structures such as community health partnerships, support primary careservices to people with depression. This includes initiatives for GPs,pharmacists and primary care mental health workers to deliver appropriateintegrated care, as locally as possible. The voluntary Quality and OutcomesFramework of the new General Medical Services Contract also has incentives forGP Practice teams to improve the quality of care for those with depression. Inaddition, the model schemes for pharmacy in some areas are delivering mentalhealth services.

These approaches and otherswill be informed by the findings of the external evaluation of the DoingWell by People with Depression initiative which has been commissioned andwill report over the summer.

During their initial teachereducation courses, student teachers are required to undertake specific core moduleswhich develop their understanding of health, health promotion and relatedissues. These core modules also support learning, recognition and understandingof a range of sensitive issues such as pupil stress, depression and bereavement.

After qualifying, valuable continuingprofessional development (CPD) is offered to teachers by local authorities andother providers. CPD courses focus on all areas of learning and teaching andare expected to meet the development needs expressed by individual teachers,including during the annual process of professional review and development. Manyof the courses concerned with behaviour management incorporate aspects such as recognisingand identifying depression, mood swings and changes in pupil behaviour patterns.

Executive Departments aregiving collective consideration to the issue of self harm following the recentpublication of Truth Hurts the report of the National Enquiry into Self-Harmamong Young People, and will make decisions on how to take action forward indue course.

The Scottish Executive doesnot have the information to provide an answer to this question.

The Scottish Executive has commissioneda guide to good practice in school  anti-bullying policies and strategies. Thiswill be disseminated to schools in the summer of 2006 and will advise on approachesto self-evaluation of anti-bullying work within schools.

This information is not heldcentrally.

This information is not heldcentrally.

As at January 2006,there were approximately 50 part- or fully-funded Choose Life initiatives acrossScotland where tackling self-harm was identified asa key aim of local Choose Life action plans. All these initiatives are requiredto indicate how, and by when, they will measure success in reaching and impactingon their target groups.