Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-24733

Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 24 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many self-harming incidents there have been involving (a) cutting, (b) burning and (c) banging amongst people under 18 in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Number of Continuous In-patientStays (CIS) involving an admission for deliberate self harm due to burning or cuttingin children under 18 years, by NHS board of residence; year ending 31 December 1999-2004.

Injury	NHS Board of Residence	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Burning	Scotland	-	2	2	-	-	-
	Fife	-	1	-	-	-	-
	Lothian	-	1	2	-	-	-
Cutting	Scotland	59	42	39	68	53	50
	Argyll and Clyde	6	5	2	4	3	3
	Ayrshire and Arran	8	1	4	7	6	7
	Borders	-	-	-	1	1	-
	Dumfries and Galloway	1	-	-	-	2	1
	Fife	4	1	1	1	6	4
	Forth Valley	2	1	1	-	-	-
	Grampian	4	4	2	8	3	12
	Greater Glasgow	10	4	3	2	8	3
	Highland	7	4	4	11	6	5
	Lanarkshire	3	-	1	2	2	4
	Lothian	14	15	17	30	14	9
	Shetland	-	1	-	-	-	-
	Tayside	-	6	4	2	2	2
	Other	-	1	1	-	-	1

Question reference: S2W-24723

Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 24 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of deliberate self-harm by pupils under 16 were reported by teaching professionals in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) age and (b) local authority area.

Question reference: S2W-24739

Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 24 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to recommend the introduction of counselling and peer support schemes in schools in the next 12 months.

The Scottish Executive is preparinga good practice briefing for schools which will describe a range of approaches schoolsmay take to promote positive mental and emotional well-being in schools. The briefingwill describe case studies of successful counselling and peer support schemes inschools and will be disseminated by the summer of 2006.

The two year national implementationproject for the National Review of Guidance (Happy, Safe and Achieving theirPotential – a Standard of Support in Scottish Schools, 2004) will also helpeducation authorities and schools consider best practice in supporting pupils. Thisproject finishes in 2008.

Question reference: S2W-24730

Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 24 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what training exists for teaching professionals to enable them to identify pupils at risk of deliberate self-harm.

As part of their initial teachertraining, student teachers are required to undertake a core module on healtheducation which is designed to develop their understanding of health, health promotionand related issues. The module covering health education includes an introductionto the variety of counselling approaches and techniques designed to support pupilsand children in dealing effectively with their emotional well-being.

With regard to Continuing ProfessionalDevelopment, a number of organisations provide training on dealing with self-harmin young people for teaching professionals across Scotland.

Other support is available toteaching professionals for example, The ScottishExecutive’s handbook on child protection in education, Safe and Well (2005),provides information on a range of issues concerning children’s care and welfareto guide the practice of teaching professionals, including a section to help schoolstaff recognise and respond effectively to pupils who self-harm. Happy, Safeand Achieving the Potential (2004), the report of the National Review of Guidance,gives a 10-point standard for personal support in Scottish schools, including effectiveco-ordination of support with other agencies and time to listen to children.

In addition, The Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit (SHPSU) worksto increase awareness of the partnerships, networks and organisations at local levelthat can support schools in work around mental and emotional health in schools,including self harming.

The website www.healthpromotingschools.co.ukis continually updated to provide information about resources and support (includingtraining) and links widely to the organisations that specialise in particular issues.

Question reference: S2W-24722

Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 24 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has in place for teaching professionals to enable them to deal effectively with incidents of deliberate self-harm among pupils.

Question reference: S2W-24741

Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 24 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it plans to issue to health and education authorities in respect of the rights of young people who disclose their self-harm to education, health and social care professionals.

Safe and Well guidance on child protection in school (2005) alreadyincludes a section on responding effectively and sensitively to pupils who self-harmand there are no plans to issue further guidance to education professionals.

In addition, the sharing of informationbetween professionals and multi-agency planning to support children is promotedwithin Happy, Safe and Achieving their Potential – ten standards of support inScottish schools (2005). All guidance relating to children’s services withinall professional groups reflects this message, and there are no plans to issue furtherguidance.

Question reference: S2W-24732

Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 24 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the prevalence of deliberate self-harming incidents in Scotland.

NHS National Services Scotland gathersa range of statistical information on self harm within Primary Care and Hospitalsettings.

The Practice Team Informationdataset provides details on GP, Practice Nurse and other Primary care contacts andaccident and emergency and hospital admission information is also collected.

Work is in hand to improve andextend the information gathered in accident and emergency which will also capturedata on self harm presentations.

Question reference: S2W-24734

Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 24 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what conclusions have been reached regarding the factors that place young people at risk from self-harm and what research it has undertaken to support these conclusions.

The recent National Inquiry intoSelf-Harm Among Young People, Truth Hurts (www.selfharmuk.org) drew together findingsfrom a number of studies to highlight many reasons why young people self-harm. Thetwo-year inquiry was jointly run by The Camelot Foundation and The Mental HealthFoundation and took evidence from Executive officials.

With funding from the Executive,a study is currently exploring the links between self harm and suicide in youngpeople.

Question reference: S2W-24740

Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 24 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it routinely records instances of deliberate self-harm across Scotland and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Question reference: S2W-24774

Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 24 April 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under 16 were treated for depression I each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

The exact number of childrenunder 16 diagnosed with depression in Scotland in each year since 1999 is not available centrally. However,national estimates of the numbers of children consulting for depression can be givenbased on the number of patients seen for the condition in general practices participatingin PTI (Practice Team Information). PTI data is obtained from a sample of ScottishGeneral Practices. This sample has a pattern of age, sex, deprivation and urban/ruraldistribution that closely matches that of the Scottish general practice population.The number of participating practices is too small to allow estimates for individualNHS board areas.

The estimated number of childrenunder 16 seen in general practices in Scotland for depression, based on PTI data(GP only) and standardised by sex and deprivation, is shown in the following table:

Estimated Scottish prevalenceof depression in children under 16, by year:

Calendar year	Estimated Number of Scottish Children (under 16)
1999	2,550
2000	2,350
2001	2,350
2002	2,750
2003	2,700

Source: ISD Scotland.

Note: estimates are rounded tothe nearest 50.