Context and Purpose of this Document
The aim of this guidance is to support Durham schools to respond safely and effectively to incidents of pupil self-harm.
The content of the guidance is informed by the experience of staff working within local school contexts; guidelines issued by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE); Local
Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) Child Protection Procedures; and wider research published on this topic. It also incorporates findings from a research project exploring young people’s experiences of being supported following incidents of self- harm, carried out by Investing in Children in 2014.
This update on previous guidance (last issued September 2020) is aligned with current best practice principles as defined by NICE. It is also aligned with the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys
NHS Person Centred Pathway of Care for Self-harm guidance; and Durham County Council’s Early Help and Single Assessment Framework procedures.
Providing mental health guidance to school based professionals is embedded within Durham’s Children and Young People Mental Health Partnership Plan. This plan ensures that local partners continue to work together around areas of community mental health need, including self-harm. Developing staff and pupil understanding of self-harm behaviours, and how to respond to these, should always be undertaken as part of a whole school approach to enabling good mental health and resilience. Durham schools are encouraged to employ the local Schools and Education Health and Wellbeing Framework to inform their development plans; and to consider signing up to the Durham Resilience Programme