Creating Hope Together: Scotland's Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2026-2029

Outcome 2

Outcome 2: Our communities have a clear understanding of suicide, risk factors and its prevention – so that people and organisations are more able to respond in helpful and informed ways when they, or others, need support.

Priority: Strengthen Scotland’s awareness and responsiveness to suicide and people who are suicidal.

Why is this important?

Academic research and stakeholder feedback tells us that stigma and discrimination around poor mental health and suicide continue to prevent people from speaking out or seeking the help they need.

We also know that, because mental health and suicide risk are closely linked to wider social factors, staff in a range of settings need support to be able to have conversations about suicide and to help people get the support they need. This can be through trusted community networks as well as formal healthcare settings. Further information and resources can be found on Suicide Prevention Scotland’s webpage.

We need to take a range of approaches: from targeted, timely, accessible and person-centred support for people who are having suicidal thoughts or engaging in suicidal behaviours to more universal, public health approaches that are aimed at raising awareness of suicide or providing early intervention support for people in the general population. It is also vital that systems, policies and processes in institutions that may contribute to stigma and discrimination are addressed.

Our ‘What if….?’ campaign has been successful in raising awareness of suicide and supporting people to have more conversations. But our engagement around the campaign tells us it needs to have a greater focus on children and young people as well as on people and communities at greatest risk of suicide.

What do we need to do?

We will build confidence, strengthen capabilities and increase knowledge and awareness of suicide, so that people in a range of organisations are more able to respond in helpful and informed ways when they, or others, need support. We will do this by delivering a long-term national and targeted awareness and behaviour change campaign, and by motivating and enabling people and communities to play a role in preventing suicide. We will partner with public sector and community organisations and people with lived and living experience to ensure our approaches are relevant, accessible, and culturally sensitive and that our resources are used effectively.

Building on our work since 2022

We have made a significant contribution to increasing awareness of suicide prevention. Our campaign has engaged new audiences and increased confidence to talk about suicide. Access to information and resources has been made easier, and we have been able to signpost people to suicide prevention support in their local areas. The profile of Suicide Prevention Scotland has been raised as a result, and community organisations see the value of collaborating and being part of our collective efforts. We will continue to build on this positive momentum.

For example, we have:

• launched the Suicide Prevention Scotland website in April 2025, which had 29,000 individual visitors in the first six months after launch. The website has signposted 124 listed services where people can find support locally and nationally and provides a wide range of information, tools and resources to support people working in suicide prevention
• started a long-term awareness campaign which has, by the conclusion of its second phase, reached over 75% of the adult population of Scotland. Post-campaign surveys have demonstrated that more people are having conversations about suicide and people are more confident to talk about suicide with family

“A beautiful piece of work showing hope and light is possible in the dark. It is hugely relatable and I feel less alone.”

From participants in the market research on the campaign

In addition to ensuring wider work across the programme reflects the needs of children and young people, we have developed a specific range of work to support children and young people affected by suicide.

For example, we have:

• launched an ‘Enabling Conversations’ toolkit (supporting parents and carers to talk to young people about suicide)
• produced guidance which identifies approaches taken in schools in relation to suicide prevention
• created ‘practice stories’ demonstrating how the principles of Time Space Compassion can be embedded into services supporting children and young people

What impact do we want to have?

In this action plan we will:

• strengthen suicide prevention awareness and understanding across Scotland’s communities
• develop and improve access to information and advice for anyone affected by suicide
• improve access to training and learning on suicide prevention and suicide bereavement
• ensure there is a range of supports in place for children and young people

How will we do this?

Strengthen suicide prevention awareness and understanding across Scotland’s communities, which includes addressing suicide-related stigma

2.1. Deliver co-produced national and targeted public awareness campaigns. These will be informed by lived and living experience as well as professional and academic advice, and will build on our current campaign ‘What if a conversation about suicide could save a life?’. By doing so we will encourage and equip people to ask about suicide, respond with compassion and know where to go for help, targeted at specific audiences. This will include campaigns which recognise the diverse characteristics, circumstances and experiences of the people in Scotland and a new campaign focused on children and young people. This work will contribute to the evidence base on national and targeted campaigns.

2.2. Strengthen and grow Scotland’s social movement, United to Prevent Suicide, by embedding a community organising and capacity building approach that empowers members to take action in their own lives, their communities, and at a national level.

Develop and share information and advice for anyone affected by suicide

“Sometimes you want someone to listen.”

Youth Advisory Group Member

2.3 Partner with community-based groups and organisations to co-develop suicide prevention resources that support their suicide prevention efforts and meet the particular needs of groups and communities most impacted by stigma, discrimination and inequalities. These resources will promote better help-seeking and help-giving behaviours and experiences at both national and local levels.

2.4 Provide reliable and accessible information on suicide prevention to meet a range of needs. This includes information for people at risk of suicide, people impacted by suicidality, and people bereaved by suicide. It will also be a source of support for the workforce, providing information for anyone who may need to support people at risk of suicide in the course of their work. While our new Suicide Prevention Scotland website is the main source, other resources will also be available.

2.5 Work with children and young people, and the sectors/settings that support them, to build understanding, confidence and capacity. This learning will not be limited to a single action but will inform activity across the whole action plan. As part of this, we will co-develop and disseminate age-appropriate information and resources. We will also undertake specific work with care experienced children and young people and the organisations that support them. In addition, we will work with colleges, universities and training providers including the Suicide Prevention Network for Colleges and Universities in Scotland, to strengthen integration of suicide prevention in undergraduate and other courses.

Improve access to learning and development on suicide prevention and suicide bereavement

2.6 Broaden and facilitate easier access to suicide prevention learning and development for the general population and workforce. This will include developing and promoting resources to help people and organisations identify and meet their learning needs, with a specific focus on suicide prevention, the role of peer support practice and its connection to inequalities and rights-based practice.

“Very informative and offers simple and realistic ways of supporting people with suicidal intentions.”

‘Ask Tell Respond’ learner

2.7 Further develop resources and information which support workforce wellbeing. This includes staff in both frontline and supporting roles who may come into contact with suicidality in the course of their work (which could include emergency services, welfare, money and debt advice and housing services). We will also ensure that the package of support for employers to support mentally healthy workplaces, which includes the ‘Supporting A Mentally Healthy Workplace’ employer platform and network, includes a focus on suicide prevention as well as supporting mental health and wellbeing. Where required, we will look to develop further resources and information to address any gaps in current provision.