Creating Hope Together - suicide prevention action plan 2022 to 2025: easy read

Our Goals

We have four long term goals that we need to make happen.

Goal One: We want a Scotland where people are protected against suicide.

Some of the things we will do to reach this goal are:

We will work together across Scotland to prevent suicide. All the parts of the Government will look at how to help prevent suicide through their work, and when they make future decisions about their work.

We will stop people hurting themselves. This will include a plan to stop people jumping from high places.

We will look at how suicide is talked about in the media. This will include talking to people who report the news and asking them not to talk about how someone died by suicide.

Goal Two: We want a Scotland where everyone is aware of suicide. Everyone should know what they can do to help themselves and others.

Some of the things we will do to reach this goal are:

We will help people to learn about suicide prevention. This will include campaigns to raise awareness.

We will make one online place where information and advice on suicide prevention is available for those who need it.

We will create opportunities for more people to learn about suicide prevention. We will train new nurses and teachers on suicide prevention.

Goal Three: Everyone in Scotland who has been affected by suicide can get help when they need it. This help should be without long waiting times and come from kind professionals.

Some of the things we will do to reach this goal are:

We will give opportunities for people who have experience of suicide to share their stories with others and support others to feel better.

We will work with children and young people to see how they can be better supported to talk about suicide and get the right help when they need it.

We will work in schools, hospitals and social groups. These places help to connect people and we want them to play a part in suicide prevention. We will make sure people can help and share their knowledge with each other.

We will make sure support is available to people who have known a friend or family member who has died by suicide. We will make sure people are supported when they reach out for help – such as when they speak to their doctor.

Goal Four: Everyone works together to prevent suicide. Decisions will be based on the experience of people affected by suicide and facts. All these actions will be checked to make sure they are working.

Some of the things we will do to reach this goal are:

We will support people working in different services in Scotland to put suicide prevention action plans in place. We will start by looking at places where there is a higher risk of suicide (people in prison or residential care), or those who work with people at higher risk of suicide (such as ambulance drivers).

We will keep putting people with lived experience at the heart of any work on suicide prevention and look for ways to have more people involved.