Suicide prevention: the critical role of early support

National suicide rates generally are rising, with over 6000 deaths by suicide in 2023. Men are three times more likely to die by suicide and suicide and self-harm has increased in young people.

We know that each suicide is a tragedy. Each loss ripples far into communities and changes lives forever.

Kooth is committed to working with the NHS and the government to contribute where we can to the success of suicide prevention plans. As an active member of the National Suicide Prevention Alliance and Support After Suicide Partnership, Kooth is continuously learning, reviewing and improving our approach to suicide prevention.

Early help is critical

One crucial contribution Kooth makes to suicide prevention across the UK is by offering early intervention. Early help is vital and is known to improve outcomes. It enables people to address underlying issues to prevent them from escalating to a point whereby suicide feels like the only option.

As one service user put it: "For years I’ve felt unable to do anything with my life, now, I want to live it. You have pulled me through situations others didn't even know about. You kept me alive and safe when others couldn't."

Kooth provides essential early intervention care for suicide risk in a number of ways:

Our community pages enable people to share their experiences in a safe way, to no longer feel alone and to instil hope through hearing about other people’s recovery journeys Our self-help activities and articles enable people to develop within themselves an understanding of their difficulties and essential coping strategies to create distance from suicidal thoughts and discover more hopeful options for moving through difficulties Our chat and messaging functions provide a vital connection to a trained professional who will assess the risks in relation to suicide and who can support and co-produce a safety plan with our users.

The online world poses many risks itself in relation to suicide and at Kooth we are committed to creating a platform that is safe, supportive and that proactively seeks to reduce suicide risk.

As an example, our discussion boards, via robust safeguarding and moderation frameworks, enable users to hear about positive coping suggestions. It allows individuals to develop a sense of purpose in helping others, to validate and normalise their experiences through exposure to similar people with similar experiences. It means they can try discussing their difficult thoughts and feelings, which can facilitate conversations with professionals and others.

Safety first

The safety of our users is our number one priority. Where we have concerns about the risk of harm, we will work with each individual to try to obtain personal information so that we can engage them with vital on the ground emergency and mental health services.

For users that choose to remain anonymous, we work extensively with them on safety planning and relationship building to enhance their safety. Our approach to effective safeguarding in digital mental health support has been developed over decades, drawing on our own learning and from the best available evidence, guidance and research in safeguarding. We are fully aligned to NHS safeguarding assurance frameworks, as well as the latest Ofcom Online Safety regulations.

Trusted NHS partner for over 20 years

We have been a safe and trusted NHS provider for over 20 years and hold the UK’s longest standing accreditation for digital mental health services from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

As such, our practices and systems are periodically and independently audited.Our practitioners are made up of counsellors and emotional wellbeing practitioners. Our emotional wellbeing practitioners are a multidisciplinary team of experienced mental health practitioners who have a qualification in a relevant field (e.g. social work, mental health nursing, psychology).

All our practitioners are supported and supervised by an experienced team of qualified clinical specialists, and their work is governed and audited internally through an industry standard best practice. Our staff are provided with specialist training in managing and de-escalating suicide risk, utilising the latest available evidence and research on what works.

Ending stigma and improving access

It is imperative that services like Kooth and Qwell reach those who need support. Eliminating all the barriers to access, from stigma and cost to waiting lists and geography, is critical for helping to support those who feel suicide is the only answer and in helping to prevent anyone from reaching that stage in the first place.

We will keep raising awareness of mental health and of the availability of our services so that no-one feels they are alone.

"If it wasn't for you and the kooth team i wouldn't be here. You believed in me when even I didn't. The fact I'm still here is living proof that what you do works."(young person on Kooth)