The Northwest has one of the highest rates of suicide in England (ONS, 2021), and in Cheshire West and Chester, there are approximately 29 people who die by suicide every year (ONS, 2019).
With the goal of creating a suicide-safer community across Cheshire West and Chester, the local council recently commissioned education and training sessions to upskill their workforce. The sessions aim to build confidence and develop the lifesaving skills to support those struggling with thoughts of suicide across the borough.
For a second year in a row, PAPYRUS has been commissioned to provide a variety of our SP-OT, SP-EAK and ASIST training courses for those that work at Cheshire West and Chester Council, as well as third-sector staff that provide frontline suicide prevention support in Cheshire West and Chester.
Suicide Prevention – Overview Tutorial (SPOT) (1.5hrs) is a gentle introduction to suicide prevention. It is suitable for anyone wanting to increase their awareness of suicide by discussing barriers to talk about suicide, what language to use when talking about suicide, thinking about signs, and self-care.
Suicide Prevention – Explore, Ask, Keep Safe (SPEAK) (3.5hrs) is a skills-based session that looks at exploring the signs of suicide, how to ask the question about suicide, and how to keep that person safe by creating a suicide safety plan with them.
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) (2 days) is a practical suicide first-aid workshop. Throughout the two days, attendees will learn a model called ‘Pathways to assisting life (PAL)’, which provides structure to a conversation when supporting someone to stay safe from suicide.
With over 6,000 people dying by suicide each year in the UK, it is vital that communities feel able to identify, support, and signpost someone they are worried about. PAPYRUS has provided lifesaving sessions to over 300 people in Chester West and Chester in 2022-2023. If you work in this borough and are interested in attending these commissioned sessions, please contact PublicHealth@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk for further details. If you are having thoughts of suicide or are worried about someone else that is, please call PAPYRUS’s free and confidential helpline, HOPELINE247 on 0800 068 4141. Our trained advisers on HOPELINE247 are available 24 hours a day to provide practical suicide prevention support by phone, text, email, and webchat.
Please see here for further details on how we can support you or your loved ones. 
