Annex B – Glossary
Term
Care Experienced
Definition
The term ‘Care Experienced’ (used by Who Cares? Scotland) refers to anyone who is currently in care or has been for any length of time regardless of their age. This care may have been provided in many different settings, such as:
- Kinship Care – living with a relative who is not your mum or dad. This includes both formal and informal
- Looked After at Home – with the help of social work
- Residential Care – living in a residential home or school
- Foster Care – living with foster carers
- Secure Care – living in a secure accommodation
- Adoption – living with adoptive parents
Term
Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults
Definition
This Fund was established in 2021 to support prevention and early intervention in local communities, addressing a number of mental health and wellbeing concerns, with a focus on at-risk groups. Since 2021 £81 million has been provided, through 6,100 grants to grass roots projects across Scotland.
A further £3 million in funding will be provided for Year 5 of the fund covering 2025/26.
Term
Community-Led Action Research (
CLAR)
Definition
A process where the community decides on an issue to be researched, designs and carries out the research, and makes use of the results.
Term
COSLA(Convention of Scottish Local Authorities)
Definition
A councillor-led, cross-party organisation who champions councils’ vital work to secure the resources and powers they need. They work on councils’ behalf to focus on the challenges and opportunities they face, and to engage positively with governments and others on policy, funding and legislation.
Term
Delivery Collective
Definition
A group of delivery partners which will deliver the Suicide Prevention Action Plan.
Term
Distress Brief Intervention (
DBI)
Definition
DBIis a non-clinical, timely intervention which provides one to one emotional and practical support to people who present in distress to frontline services.
Term
Health and Social Care Partnership
Definition
Scotland has 31 health and social care partnerships (
HSCPs) that integrate health and social care services to improve community health outcomes and provide comprehensive support.
Term
Horizon-Scanning
Definition
Analysis of the future which will consider how emerging trends and developments might potentially affect current policy and practice.
Term
Integrated Motivational Volitional (
IMV) Model of Suicidal Behaviour
Definition
The
IMV is a tripartite model that proposes that suicidal behaviour results from a complex interplay of factors.
Term
Lived and living experience of suicide
Definition
The personal experience of suicide, suicidal thoughts or suicide attempt, caring for someone during a suicidal crisis, bereavement by suicide or being affected by suicide in any other way.
Term
Local Suicide Prevention Implementation Lead
Definition
Someone working with a remit around suicide prevention in a local area who has a role in coordinating, implementing and reporting on local suicide prevention work.
Term
Local Suicide Prevention Lead/Coordinator
Definition
Generally, the title means someone working with a remit around suicide prevention in a local area or region who has a role in coordinating, implementing and reporting on local suicide prevention work. In some areas there may be more than one coordinator or it might be one portfolio as part of a wider role.
Term
Locations of Concern
Definition
A specific, and often public, site which is frequently used as a location for suicide.
Term
Memorial
Definition
Any act of remembrance following the death of a loved one. This could include placing flowers, scarves, teddy bears, cards or other tokens at a site of special meaning, holding vigils, installing benches, an organised event such as a walk, run or cycle or the creation of a book of condolence.
Term
Multi-agency reviews (of deaths by suicide)
Definition
An approach where a range of different organisations who have expertise and/or an interest in suicide prevention, come together to consider the learning from the circumstances which may have contributed to someone dying by suicide and then turn this learning into appropriate action.
Term
National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (
NCISH)
Definition
A project based within the University of Manchester which has collected in-depth information on all suicides in the
UK since 1996 and uses this information to make recommendations which aim to improve patient safety in mental health settings and help to prevent suicide.
Term
OutNav
Definition
A cloud-based software package utilised by Suicide Prevention Scotland for outcome and impact evaluation.
Term
Peer Support
Definition
Peer support offers an intentional way for people to connect with others who have walked similar paths, creating environments where experiences can be shared, voices can be heard, and pathways to hope can be explored together. Peer support takes many forms, from community led groups to paid peer worker roles within statutory services.
Term
Postvention
Definition
The response to, and the care and support offered to those affected by, a suicide-related incident. Postvention helps to support recovery and reduce the risk of suicide in those affected or exposed and is a key part of suicide prevention activity.
Term
Protective Factors (for suicide)
Definition
Skills, strengths or resources that help people deal more effectively with stressful events.
Term
Risk Factors (for suicide)
Definition
Risk factors are characteristics that make it more likely that individuals will consider, attempt, or die by suicide.
Term
ScotSID
Definition
ScotSIDis a database linking information on individuals who died from probable suicide from multiple sources.
Term
Self-Harm
Definition
Self-harm is any non-accidental behaviour which causes, or has the potential to cause, harm to a person. Self-harm is often where someone harms themselves as a way of coping with difficult, distressing or overwhelming feelings or experiences. Sometimes referred to as Non-Suicidal Self Injury (
NSSI).
Term
Severe and Multiple Disadvantage (
SMD)
Definition
People with experience of two or more of the following issues: poor mental health, homelessness, involvement with criminal justice systems, substance use and domestic abuse.
Term
Social Determinants
Definition
The conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. These circumstances such as income, education, employment, housing and social connectedness – significantly affect health and wellbeing, including mental health.
Term
Strategic Outcome Lead(s)
Definition
Strategic Outcome Leads (
SOLs) are key partner organisations responsible for leading the delivery of each of the four long-term outcomes in Scotland’s national suicide prevention strategy, ‘Creating Hope Together’ (2022–2032).These leads are part of the Suicide Prevention Scotland delivery model and work closely with the National Delivery Lead and other partners to implement the strategy’s action plan.
Term
Suicide
Definition
Death resulting from an intentional, self-inflicted act.
Term
Suicidality
Definition
An umbrella term for suicide ideation, plans, behaviour, attempts and suicide.
Term
Suicide attempt/suicidal act
Definition
Acting on the suicidal thoughts through a non-fatal self-injurious behaviour with an intention to die because of it. It may or may not result in injury.
Term
Suicide Clusters
Definition
A situation in which more suicides than expected occur in terms of time, place, or both.
Term
Suicide prevention
Definition
A strategy or approach that reduces the likelihood or delays the risk of suicidality.
Term
Suicide Prevention Scotland
Definition
Suicide Prevention Scotland is the community of people and organisations working together to deliver Creating Hope Together, Scotland’s suicide prevention strategy.
Term
Suicide Prevention Scotland – Academic Advisory Group (
AAG)
Definition
A group of academic researchers who use their expert knowledge in suicide to support the development and implementation of actions to help prevent people taking their own lives. They also undertake new research to help fill any gaps in knowledge.
Term
Suicide Prevention Scotland – Lived and Living Experience Panel (
LLEP)
Definition
A group of people who have been personally affected by suicide, and who use their experience to support the development and implementation of strategy and actions which will help to prevent people taking their own lives.
Term
Suicide Prevention Scotland – National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group (
NSPAG)
Definition
The National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group advises the Scottish Government,
COSLA and Suicide Prevention Scotland: on the progress, direction and priorities of Creating Hope Together, Scotland’s Suicide Prevention Strategy 2022-2032); on strategic issues affecting delivery; and on any broader issues connected with suicide prevention.
Term
Suicide Prevention Scotland – Youth Advisory Group (
YAG)
Definition
A panel of young people aged 16 to 25 set up to share views and inform future policy around suicide prevention in Scotland.
Term
The Promise
Definition
The Promise is the programme of change demanded by the findings of the Independent Care Review, to ensure that every child in Scotland grows up loved, safe and respected, able to realise their full potential.
Term
Theory of Change
Definition
A document or diagram that shows how an initiative is expected to lead to the desired outcomes and makes clear what the change process is.
Term
Time Space Compassion
Definition
A relational approach to improving responses to people and communities impacted by suicide, emphasising the importance of human connection, understanding, and support.
Term
United To Prevent Suicide
Definition
A social movement of people from all across Scotland. We are united in a shared belief that each and every one of us has a role to play in preventing suicide.
