The Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) launched a national self-harm support service, making it the first country in the world to develop a strategy specifically dedicated to self-injury. The project is backed by the Scottish Government with a £1.5 million investment and intends to be collaborative. It was informed by people who self-harm or did in the past and their families, professionals, and researchers, such as professor Amy Chandler who supervised a commissioned study1.
The strategy was created in response to a call by Samaritans Scotland to improve and update the Government’s response to self-harm, as the last national guidance was issued in 20112. As can be seen in the table below, each governmental plan targeting self-harm was done in reaction to a report written by mental health charities.
| DATE | AUTHORS | TITLE | CONCLUSIONS |
| 2006 | Camelot Foundation; Mental Health Foundation | Truth Hurts – Report of the National Inquiry into Self-harm among Young People3 | Little is known about the prevalence of self-harm in the UK The situation of young people who self-injure often worsens after they seek help due to stigma and misunderstanding There is a need for targeted research and measures to offer effective and compassionate measures |
| 2011 | Scottish Government | Responding to Self-Harm in Scotland4 | |
| 2020 | Samaritans Scotland | Hidden Too Long: uncovering self-harm in Scotland5 | There has not been any recent measure targeting self-harm in Scotland It is unclear how recommendations from the 2011 report “Responding to Self-Harm in Scotland” were implemented The Government must work collaboratively and invest in community support and services Data about self-harm must be improved The public needs to be informed and there is a need to raise awareness |
| 2023 | Scottish Government | Scotland’s Self-Harm Strategy and Action Plan2 |
Online resources
As part of the strategy, the Scottish Government funded “Self-Harm Network Scotland”6, which is part of mental health organization Penumbra. Self-Harm Network Scotland operates a web chat every day from 7pm to 10pm, and enables those in need to leave a message and receive a private call. Penumbra also offers resources and information about self-harm, as well as stories from people who suffered from it. This is particularly important as it guarantees that those who seek help online can access safe, trusted and reliable information. The recent Online Safety Act, which we mentioned in another article, is also hoped to help reduce the risk of harmful online content.
Action plan
The strategy includes a three-year plan, composed of three priorities. After 18 months, progress will be reviewed and the situation will be evaluated.2
- Priority 1: Raising awareness and understanding of self-harm in order to reduce stigma that can be an obstacle to seeking help. Providing learnings to communities, schools, parents, services and healthcare settings to dispel myths about self-harm. Increasing compassion and warning of online risks for instance.
- Priority 2: Developing support and services across Scotland to meet the needs of those who self-harm. Working with partners and sharing resources with professionals in contact with people who self-harm, such as first responders.
- Priority 3: Reviewing and learning from existing data about self-harm and to identify and fill gaps in data, for instance about risk factors. Scrutinizing the efficiency of the recent Online Safety Act in keeping young people safe.
To reach these goals, the government plans to work with institutions and partners across diverse fields such as public healthcare, education, and criminal justice.
Comments
Self-harm and its complexity is understood by Scottish authorities, with a great variety of functions and forms of self-harm being mentioned – in addition to the diverse profiles of people who suffer from the behavior. Yet, getting a good understanding of self-harm is not hard to achieve in 2023, thanks to the increasing amount of academic research about the behavior which has been done over the past 3 decades. What has been asked by Samaritans Scotland was measures, and unfortunately the strategy lacks concrete and practical actions. The action plan provides several steps that can be taken but remains abstract and vague. The division of funding across different individual actions, for instance, would help illustrate how the government plans to reach its goals. It is to be hoped that such actions and thinking have been anticipated but not made public yet, so that the first 18 months will be used for implementing instead of planning measures.
The report admits that the strategy is exploratory and is developed in a context of financial stress. Any additional funding required to implement the self-harm strategy will have to be justified by evidence and its cost and funding options will be discussed with local and national government, as well as relevant partners.
We can only hope the Scottish government will be fully committed in implementing this new strategy, so that unlike the 2011 plan, it has an impact on improving the life of those who suffer from self-harm.
References
[1] Scottish Government. (2023, November 28). A first Self-Harm Strategy for Scotland and the world. The Scottish Government. https://www.gov.scot/news/a-first-self-harm-strategy-for-scotland-and-the-world/
[2] Scottish Government & COSLA. (2023). Scotland’s Self-Harm Strategy and Action Plan. The Scottish Government. https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2023/11/scotlands-self-harm-strategy-action-plan-2023-27/documents/scotlands-self-harm-strategy-action-plan-2023-27-supporting-compassion/scotlands-self-harm-strategy-action
[3] Camelot Foundation & Mental Health Foundation. (2006). Truth Hurts. Mental Health Foundation. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-09/truth-hurts-report.pdf
[4] The Scottish Government. (2011). Responding to Self-Harm in Scotland Final Report. The Scottish Government. https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20170715043211/http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2011/03/17153551/2
[5] Samaritans Scotland. (2020). Hidden Too Long: uncovering self-harm in Scotland. https://media.samaritans.org/documents/HiddenTooLong_uncoveringself-harminScotland.pdf
[6] Penumbra. (n.d.). Self-Harm Network Scotland Penumbra: Home. Self-Harm Network Scotland Penumbra: Home. https://selfharmnetworkscotland.org.uk/
Exploring self-harm 