Question reference: S6W-02856
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 9 September 2021
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Current status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 September 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to reported calls for a national strategy to meet the needs of people who self-harm.
Answer
The Scottish Government is actively working with partners and people with lived experience to develop Scotland’s approach to self-harm; this is a commitment in the Mental Health Transition and Recovery plan.
In developing our approach we are considering how best to deliver our objective to ensure compassionate, trauma informed responses to people in distress who self-harm, whilst also reducing stigma.
Our initial work on self-harm included commissioning Samaritans Scotland to undertake research, which resulted in the publication of ‘Hidden too long: uncovering self-harm in Scotland’ ( https://media.samaritans.org/documents/HiddenTooLong_uncoveringself-harminScotland.pdf ). In line with that research, we have continued to engage with partners and people with lived experience to better understand the prevalence and nature of self-harm. Through the Mental Health Recovery and Renewal fund, work is being commissioned to pilot self-harm support services, develop a website to support people who self-harm and design a programme of learning for professionals. Crucially, this research, engagement and evaluation from pilots will inform our policy approach.