Recurring concern
Inadequate frontline training to recognise and respond to suicide and self-harm risk
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Request correctionFirst reported 13 Feb 2014•Latest report 7 Apr 2026
What this concern includes
Includes failures to require, provide, refresh, assess or assure training for frontline or first-contact personnel who may need to recognise, communicate about, assess, escalate or respond to suicide or self-harm risk, including railway, social-care, healthcare and comparable settings.
Not included
- Excludes generic mental-health, emergency-response or first-aid training where suicide or self-harm risk is not a material part of the asserted concern.
- Excludes failures in suicide-risk assessment, observation, treatment or protective measures when staff training is not the deficient control.
- Excludes training for specialist clinicians or other personnel who do not function as frontline or first-contact responders, unless the assertion explicitly concerns their frontline suicide or self-harm response role.
- Excludes individual failures to apply adequate training where the relevant training and competence-assurance process was otherwise reliable.
- Reports
- 17
- Individual concerns
- 18
- Date range
- 2014–2026
- Stated actions
- 28
Distinct published reports
A report can raise multiple concerns
First to latest report issue date
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
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Concerns raised1
Lack of mandatory suicide prevention training for frontline practitioners and staff
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Deliver mandatory Tier 1 suicide prevention awareness training to all Children and Families frontline staff within three months.
Stated by Warwickshire County Council -
Action
Commission Tier 2 practitioner suicide prevention training through a formal competitive procurement process.
Stated by Warwickshire County Council -
Action
Deliver phased, mandatory Tier 2 practitioner training to identified Children and Families staff, with refreshers and ongoing training for new starters.
Stated by Warwickshire County Council
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.4
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Position
Tier 2 practitioner training will be phased over three years because financial considerations and workforce capacity constrain faster implementation.
Stated by Warwickshire County Council
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Position
Mandatory completion of universal suicide-awareness training across the Council remains subject to further corporate agreement.
Stated by Warwickshire County Council -
Position
Tier 2 training commissioning and delivery options cannot be finalised until a competitive procurement tender is completed.
Stated by Warwickshire County Council -
Position
Expansion of suicide-prevention training to wider workforce groups is subject to funding agreement.
Stated by Warwickshire County Council
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Concerns raised1
Failure to provide suicide and self-harm risk management training to prison officers
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Action
Reintroduce the Pentonville Speed School and deliver self-harm and suicide-prevention training to officers.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service -
Action
Provide ACCT case-review training to all band 4 staff.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service
-
Concerns raised1
Lack of specific seller guidance and training on deliberate suicide or self-harm misuse of the substance
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Lack of specific guidance and suggested training for sellers about one-off online purchases for self-harm
This report raised 8 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Action
Engage online platforms and retailers to encourage voluntary removal of pure-form substances and vigilance for purchases linked to self-harm or suicide.
Stated by Home Office -
Action
Improve supplier awareness of suspicious-activity reporting obligations and promote safer sales practices, including declaration-of-use forms.
Stated by Home Office
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
Individual substances are not routinely highlighted in guidance because doing so could draw widespread attention; existing general controls and targeted engagement are relied upon.
Stated by Home Office
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Concerns raised1
Lack of specific seller guidance and training on one-off online purchases for self-harm
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Lack of mandatory suicide prevention training for army welfare officers and welfare NCOs
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Establish a working group to review all aspects of mental-health and wellbeing training, including suicide prevention, risk understanding and Vulnerability Risk Management.
Stated by Ministry of Defence -
Action
Publish recommendations from the mental-health and wellbeing training review.
Stated by Ministry of Defence -
Action
Update training policy using the published recommendations.
Stated by Ministry of Defence
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Concerns raised1
Lack of understanding and training on key dates or anniversaries as self-harm risk factors
This report raised 9 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Action
Deliver the national ACCT, ACCT Assessor and Case Coordinator training packages using nationally trained Sodexo facilitators and HMPPS facilitators.
Stated by Sodexo -
Action
Provide ACCT refresher training to all staff when operational management returns to Sodexo, unless they have completed it earlier.
Stated by Sodexo
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to train night patrol staff to respond effectively to ligature or other self-harm incidents
This report raised 11 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Update the emergency-response training video and distribute it to training centres and prisons for staff training.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service
-
Concerns raised1
Insufficient training and awareness of domestic abuse and suicide risk among front line police officers
This report raised 10 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
-
Action
Provide up to £3.3 million to support further rollout of domestic abuse and related policing training.
Stated by Home Office
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Concerns raised1
Failure to ensure proper training of frontline and control-room staff in dealing with vulnerable or suicidal persons
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.8
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Action
Brief every Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway control-room staff member on recognising, handling and sharing concern-for-welfare reports.
Stated by Govia Thameslink Railway Limited and Network Rail Infrastructure Limited -
Action
Employ a dedicated Suicide Prevention Manager to promote awareness, signpost support and develop staff training with the Samaritans.
Stated by Govia Thameslink Railway Limited -
Action
Deliver the in-house online Suicide Prevention course to frontline colleagues and keep it available for knowledge refreshment.
Stated by Govia Thameslink Railway Limited
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Action
Deliver suicide-prevention training through staff briefings and induction, including Mental Health Nurse input for new starters.
Stated by Govia Thameslink Railway Limited -
Action
Audit the training programme’s impact and provide the results to the Office of Rail and Road.
Stated by Govia Thameslink Railway Limited -
Action
Develop a training course for handling vulnerable people’s calls through telephones and station help points.
Stated by Govia Thameslink Railway Limited -
Action
Assess control-room staff annually through a practical exercise on responding to help-point calls from suicidal people.
Stated by Govia Thameslink Railway Limited -
Action
Strengthen guidance on non-emergency welfare concerns through training and staff briefings, reinforcing contact with British Transport Police.
Stated by Govia Thameslink Railway Limited
Data last updated 7 September 2026