Charity to Help Pastoral Staff Spot Potential Suicides

A suicide prevention charity is giving universities in the UK advice on how they might identify and help students in danger of committing suicide.

Papyrus is issuing training material for academic and pastoral staff to help them spot possible warning signs.

Information leaflets will also be circulated among students.

In 2005, 415 people aged between 15 and 24 in England took their own lives, according to the Department of Health.

The Papyrus charity, which was founded in 1997 by a group of parents who had lost a child through suicide, says young people in higher education are often at a vulnerable stage of their lives.

It hopes a training DVD for staff, which contains dramatised scenarios, will help them identify risk factors and know more about sources of help. The advice will be circulated through a series of regional seminars, starting in the north west of England.

Researchers at the University of Central Lancashire and King's College London were commissioned by Papyrus to study 20 cases of student suicide between 2000 and 2005.

According to the report, staff affected by student suicides did not always receive formal support from their university.

In addition, it found that university services and NHS services did not always communicate effectively and that services did not always cover students living in the private rented sector.

The study suggests that universities review their availability to students, especially during the summer months.

Chair of Papyrus Anne Parry said: "As parents with experience of suicide we know that students, along with other young people can be vulnerable particularly when in a totally new environment.

"However, many suicides can be prevented and we hope that this resource will assist anyone working with students to help young people in distress."

Launching the new pack, Labour MP for the Delyn area of Flintshire, David Hanson, said: "We hope that universities and colleges will use this package to not only further awareness of suicide prevention among academic and pastoral staff, but make it widely available to anyone who has a need or responsibility in this very important area."

Minister for Higher Education, Bill Rammell, said: "There is a wide range of support in place for students who are finding it hard to cope, for example through student counselling services.

"Universities take this matter extremely seriously. We welcome Papyrus' resource pack for the education sector and we believe it will help institutions in their vital ongoing work in identifying and supporting vulnerable students."