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<p>Prevention of suicide is a key priority for the Ministry of Justice. Prison Service
Instruction 64/2011 on “Rules and guidance for prison staff on managing prisoners
who are at risk of harm or death, or who may be a risk to others” provides overarching
guidance on prison safety and supports the prevention of suicide in prisons, including
through our case management approach for prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm.
The instruction sets out mandatory actions and guidance for staff, emphasising the
importance of individualised support, multi-disciplinary teamwork, and identifying
and addressing an individual’s risks, triggers and protective factors.</p><p>In addition,
we are phasing in refreshed safety training for staff which includes suicide and self-harm
prevention. In partnership with Samaritans, we have developed a suicide prevention
learning tool, designed to give staff more confidence in engaging with prisoners who
may be at risk of suicide. We have developed guidance on supporting someone who is
self-harming, drawing on existing good practice and guidance from the NHS and third
sector. This has been distributed nationally, helping to up-skill staff around the
subject of self-harm and outline the importance of providing tailored, meaningful
support.</p><p>We know the risk of suicide can be higher for prisoners in the early
days of custody including for those held on remand. Mandatory actions and guidance
for staff on the early days in custody includes the requirement to assess all prisoners
of any risk that they might harm themselves on arrival. A staff toolkit helps staff
to assess risk effectively and promote supportive conversations in the early days
of custody.</p>
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