Resources for people working in local suicide prevention
Our toolkits provide helpful information and advice for colleagues working to prevent suicide, locally.
Our Local Suicide Prevention Planning and Implementation Toolkit features sections on topics relating to the development and implementation of a local suicide prevention action plan.
Each section of the toolkit has been developed based on learning with and supporting the suicide prevention community across Scotland.
The toolkit emphasises that local action plans should be based on local need, and offers opportunities to learn from national practice across suicide prevention and other policy areas.
By drawing on the experiences and insights of those working in suicide prevention and experts in the topic areas below, the toolkit provides a flexible resources that shares our collective learning and offers a chance to reflect on local approaches.
Local suicide prevention leads in Scotland met in Glasgow (May 2025)
In Scotland we have:
Download our resources
Local Suicide Prevention Planning and Implementation Toolkit
Introduction
Provides an overview of the toolkit sections and suicide prevention work in Scotland, including the wider policy context and key messages about suicidal behaviour.
Action plan development
Guidance on creating effective local suicide prevention action plans, with tools to support a needs assessment and examples of suicide prevention activities.
Outcomes & evaluation
Provides a framework for developing local outcomes and explores different approaches and tools that can be used when monitoring and evaluating suicide prevention work.
Data & information
Insight into what data and information sharing allows us to do, with tips on where to find, how to interpret and how to use suicide prevention data to inform your work.
Lived & living experience
Different approaches and principles around involving people with lived and living experience in suicide prevention work – with local and national practice examples.
Participation practice
Ideas around engaging children and young people in suicide prevention work – based on existing approaches and feedback from young people.
Governance & collaboration
Highlights the role of Chief Officers and provides examples of local suicide prevention governance structures, roles and reporting mechanisms.
Postvention & incident response
Helpful information, practice examples and further resource links across a range of actions following suicide attempts and deaths by suicide.
Induction pack
Information for people new to suicide prevention work to reflect on their role and the opportunities to get involved and make a difference.
Useful resources or need some more support?
We hope you find these toolkits helpful, but for further information you are welcome to contact our Public Health Scotland team via email.
Listen to the Creating Hope podcast
Alongside the written resources we also have also published a podcast series exploring some of the topics highlighted in the toolkit.
This includes working with people with lived and living experience, data & intelligence, young people and bereavement.
Listen to each of the episodes below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Practice examples
One of the things that people working in suicide prevention consistently tell us is that learning from the practice of others working in the field is extremely useful.
To support the development of the toolkit and to share examples of promising practice across Scotland there are a range of practice examples throughout the sections of the toolkit.
You'll find some brilliant examples of work from the Scottish Borders to Orkney!
Some of the practice examples are featured as videos or have extended written versions which are included below.
Creating hope across Scotland
Stories from the Scottish Borders, the Highlands and Glasgow
Meaningfully engaging with young people
Examples of good practice from North Ayrshire and West Dumbartonshire