Suicide Prevention Awareness session, with Samaritans (Thursday 25 February, 9-11am)

Help us to prevent suicides in the City, by joining us for this short, interactive session.

Suicide is the most common cause of death for men aged between 20 and 49 in England and Wales, with around three quarters of deaths by suicide being men.

Men working in the construction industry and/ or less well-off middle-aged men are at particularly high risk, according to recent reports from Samaritans and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

The City of London Corporation, alongside partners including Samaritans and the City of London Police, is committed to reducing this tragic loss of life through local suicide prevention measures. The local business community plays a crucial role in these efforts, for example in supporting their staff to develop skills in approaching someone who is in crisis. We have been delivering these sessions to employers in the City and beyond over the past four years and they provide an easy way for firms to support these efforts.

With much-reduced footfall in the Square Mile due to the ongoing pandemic, workers who are still travelling in and out of the City, such as security officers, construction workers and cleaning staff, can be “eyes and ears” and are likely to be first responders when it comes to spotting and assisting someone who is in crisis.

This short, interactive and practical City-specific Suicide Prevention Awareness session is delivered by Samaritans volunteers, in collaboration with the City Corporation’s Public Health team and the City of London Police. It is aimed at anyone working in a City organisation – including those with responsibility for HR, facilities or security. It aims to provide the tools to start difficult conversations in a careful and sensitive way.

The session will be delivered online via Zoom. We are trialling a new way of delivery in 2021 for these sessions. Spaces are limited to 20, to one space per organisation, to allow an interactive discussion. Please use this page to register your interest in attending the event (no later than 5pm on Thursday 11 February) and we will be in touch closer to the date to confirm attendance.

Once you have registered your interest, please email the team at businesshealthy@cityoflondon.gov.uk with the name, role and organisation of the person who would like to attend.

Attendees at previous sessions said the following about the training:

• “Excellent session and very informative”
• “This is a difficult subject that was communicated with compassion and sensitivity to provide a valuable learning experience”
• “Even though I have experience in this field, the training has increased and added to my understanding”
• “In the organisation I work in we already deliver ‘managing mental health’ workshops and this workshop was a lovely refresher and CPD”
• “It was great to learn other ways Samaritans have to communicate and how much is being done around the city in general”
• “Makes me see how important it is to step in if you see someone who looks like they’re suicidal”
• “Really useful session – covers some difficult issues really carefully but also succinctly”

Speakers:

• Allison Hooper, Central London Samaritans
• Caroline Adie, Central London Samaritans