Consultation costs for Suicide Prevention Strategy: FOI release

Information requested

Consultation costs to produce and analyse:

Suicide Prevention Strategy Development Questionnaire

A new Suicide Prevention Strategy for Scotland

Response

I enclose a copy of the information you requested.

Suicide Prevention Strategy Development Questionnaire

Background note:

The engagement, including the questionnaire, was a foundationalelement of developing the Scottish Government and COSLA’s new suicide prevention strategy (published in 2022). This programme of engagement involved extensive and inclusive consultation with communities and partners across Scotland who were involved or affected by suicide, including people with lived and living experience of suicide. Finally, this engagement provided key insights and evidence which shaped our 10-year strategy, and also created and re-invigorated relationships which are now supporting delivery of the strategy.

The early engagement over Autum/Winter 2021 included:

• Questionnaire – 190 responses were received (162 individuals and 28 organisations).
• Events – 41 online workshops were held: a mix of regionally and nationally focussed sessions. Organisations, professionals and individuals were free to sign up to either type of event or could attend more than one event. There were 684 people who signed up; of those, 264  people selfidentified as having lived experience of suicide.
• In addition, we engaged with specific groups and communities who are considered to carry an elevated risk of suicide, for example, because they are from a marginalised and / or disadvantaged community. We also engaged with a mix of existing forums and hosted dedicated sessions.

Associated costs for early engagement

Improvement Service (payment routed via COSLA) – Analysisof questionnaire responses & producing an associated report	£15,600.00
APS (Publishing) Report	£582.68
Samaritans safeguarding and emotional support video (which was shared with all participants who attended events)	£360.00
Staff Costs (for planning / running events)	Undertaken as part of their wider suicide prevention policy role, so unable to provide costings

Further background note:

There was also a second phase of engagement in Spring 2022 which was designed to hear from groups on themes that emerged from the early engagement phase, with a view to developing key
themes and priorities for the strategy. This engagement included: 

• 1-2-1 sessions with key stakeholders and communities of interest, including people with lived experience of suicide, groups at heightened risk of suicide and key groups who were underrepresented from the early engagement phase.
• Roundtable meetings - there were a series of 9 roundtables with a variety of sectors covering Emergency Services, Justice, Education, Care Experience, Primary Care, Harmful Behaviours and Addictions, Social Care, Private Sector and Men’s Groups. 

Consultation on the draft suicide prevention strategy and action plan for Scotland

APS (Publishing) – publication of draft Strategy for consultation	£537.29
APS (Publishing) – publication of analysis of consultation responses	£897.11
Staff Costs (for drafting draft strategy and action plan for consultation, analysing responses,	Undertaken as part of their wider suicide prevention policy role, so unable to provide costings

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.