What's a good response when a student discloses self-harm?

If you work in education, it’s likely that at some point a student will disclose self-harm, or you may notice signs yourself.
How do you respond?

• Do you immediately raise a safeguarding concern?
• Do you call parents straight away?
• Do you feel confident assessing risk and deciding on the right next steps?

​Staff at Leeds City College asked for clear, practical guidance. Working together, we developed a straightforward, step-by-step guide to support staff managing disclosures of self-harm for both under-16s and over-16s.
The student’s safety is always the top priority. The guide helps staff carefully assess and manage the situation, involve the student appropriately, and ensure they retain a safe level of control throughout the process, an approach that can help reduce further risk.
Our thanks to Rebecca Riley at Leeds City College for generously allowing us to share this valuable resource.