safeTALK Pilot

What is safeTALK?

safeTALK is a new programme from LivingWorks Education (released June 2006). One ASIST trainer, with ASIST trained helpers present, can deliver this 3 hour session to 30 participants (although for the pilot, trainers may prefer to work in pairs). Completing safeTALK alerts participants to people who may be at risk of suicide, encourages them to ask about suicide then refer them on to appropriate services or someone trained in ASIST.

safeTALK is shorthand:

safe stands for Suicide Alertness For Everyone

TALK represents Tell, Ask, Listen and Keep Safe (in the same way as with SuicideTALK)

This half day session can only be delivered in agencies or communities where ASIST trained helpers are already in place, and the relevant agencies are aware of, and supportive of, safeTALK.

Definitions:

safeTALK is a half day training session in suicide alertness. Participants would always refer a person at risk on to someone trained in ASIST.

ASIST is two day training in suicide intervention. Participants may become a point of referral for persons at risk as identified by someone who has attended safeTALK.

These programmes are integrated and you need ASIST or its equivalent already in place before delivering safeTALK.

Why do we need safeTALK?

We anticipate that ASIST and safeTALK together will be a cost effective way to ensure that ASIST trained individuals use their skills, if a larger number of people locally complete safeTALK and refer persons at risk on to them. It is important, however, that people trained in ASIST (and their agencies as appropriate) are in agreement with referrals being passed on to them.

The programme is intended to fill a risk recognition and referral gap.

This gap exists because there are not enough people in most communities who want to, and can:

1. recognise that someone might be having thoughts of suicide
2. engage in open and direct talk of suicide with a person having thoughts of suicide  
3. move quickly to connect that person with someone trained in suicide intervention

safeTALK may be the most appropriate resource for participants for various reasons, for example:

• some people may want training in suicide prevention but cannot give 2 days to ASIST. safeTALK may better suit the time commitment they can contribute.
• safeTALK can focus on what to do in the context of a particular organisation or community (video clips can be customised for agency needs, although this will not be explored within the pilot.)
• it may prove cost effective for agencies if key contacts are identified and supported to have ASIST training and the use of their ASIST skills is included in their role with a wider group of staff attending safeTALK. safeTALK participants would then be eyes and ears able to refer on to ASIST trained people.

What do we need to learn from the safeTALK pilot in Scotland?

What did participants/sponsors/trainers think of the experience; the training materials; the trainers; the information about who to refer on to?

Was the session what they expected? Why/why not?

How did people use the skills after the session?

Did linking to suicide intervention trained (i.e. ASIST trained) individuals work?

What did not go well (either within safeTALK session or local agency/Choose Life links when trying to use them to help someone?

What else is needed?

Feedback from local areas/national agencies re costs, effectiveness and how they might use this? Do they have any concerns?

Who will be involved in the safeTALK pilot?

There are nine trainers based within five local areas and two national agencies. They are:

Karen Balfour, West Lothian

Ciara Byrne, SAMH

Hilda Davis, Glasgow

Jean Davis, Western Isles

Lynda Lammin-Simpson, Dumfries and Galloway

Malcolm Luing, MoD

Nicola Mullen, SAMH

Elaine O'Hanlon, Choose Life National Team

Marie Park, Argyll and Bute

The proposed time scale would be aiming to complete the initial pilot and have information to feed back to NIST, Choose Life Coordinators and ASIST trainers at an autumn trainers' conference. Each trainer involved in the pilot will be provided with materials for 100 participants. The assumption is that the first session will be needed for local stakeholders and ASIST trained people to refer on to, then 3 sessions as agreed locally.

This will allow trainers to complete the agreed apprenticeship with LivingWorks as safeTALK trainers and become confident with the materials and any issues raised.

Trainers delivering safeTALK need to note that:

• LivingWorks suggests safeTALK can be aimed at anyone over 15. In Scotland initially, it would fit with the current delivery of ASIST to focus on adult participants only.
• The materials cost £2 per head, so for a group of 30 participants, costs will be £60 plus room hire and refreshments.
•  In the pilot material costs will be covered by Choose Life nationally. However, it is important that participants and local areas are aware of real costs. Trainers conducting this pilot need to record who covered the costs of trainers time, refreshments, room and equipment costs. This will enable us to gather information on real costs and how local areas are meeting these.
• Trainers need access to laptop and PowerPoint projector to deliver safeTALK sessions. Trainers, as always, when training will need to consider access and safety for participants.

Preparation for delivering safeTALK:

Before starting the local pilot, each trainer needs to explore jointly with the local Choose Life Coordinator, their own line manager and others as appropriate:

Agree Choose Life links and local focus for safeTALK, plus national/LivingWorks links.

Information and agreement with those identified as local and national suicide intervention contacts for referral purposes.

The agreed target audience this could be the either local community or an agency team, and the rationale behind this: how does it fit with the local training plan and current Choose Life priorities?

Which agencies will participants be able to refer on to?

Information and viewing of resources for stakeholders and ASIST trained and/or others to accept referrals. This may, for example, include Breathing Space and/or other national services.

Timetable, process and checkpoints agreed for feedback from participants and trainers (workshop evaluation, trainer feedback form etc. Includes rationale and details of who was involved, i.e. name, age, gender, role, intervention resource details).

Postcards for all to complete if a referral is made and return locally/nationally. And contact details requested from those in the pilot to participate in a focus group or telephone interviews?

Details of individual local plans for the pilot process would be needed asap and follow up contact with all trainers involved.

There are LivingWorks trainer and participant feedback forms (and in Scotland we will need a monitoring form/permission to be contacted for evaluation.)

Examples of outputs we can measure during pilot:

Numbers and information on people completing training

Numbers of ASIST people willing/unwilling to be referred on to

Numbers of non attendance

Numbers attending with identified concerns re completed suicide/suicide risk during training and how trainers respond

Examples of outcomes we can achieve during pilot:

Numbers of people thinking of suicide being referred on (further discussion would be needed on how to gather this e.g. stories/postcards returned from participants and ASIST helpers)

Agencies wanting this type of training (including whether they are already Choose Life partners or newly involved )

Numbers completing safeTALK who then want to do ASIST or become involved with Choose Life activities etc

Sharing learning with Ireland and others in LivingWorks network

Guidance note for Choose Life

Comments from trainers for Choose Life Resource Database

Notes by Elaine O'Hanlon, Training and Development Manager