An overview of the work undertaken by Forward For Life and Common Unity to reduce suicide through standardised, high quality, targeted suicide prevention training and Tailored Peer Support Programmes for vulnerable men.

1. Taking Positive Steps in Dudley…
- a suicide prevention approach
Amarjot Birdi
Public Health Programme Manager DMBC
Terry Rigby
Director, Forward for Life / ManMade
27th June 2016

2. About Dudley Borough…

3. Background & Context
• Public Mental Health Action Plan (2011 – 2013)
• Dudley & Walsall Mental Health Partnership Trust
Suicide Prevention Strategy (2013)
• Dudley Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2013-2016)
• Mental Health Strategic Partnership Board
• Dudley Health & Wellbeing Board

4. What we’ve done…
Commissioned:
• Basic suicide prevention awareness and skills training for cross-
sector frontline workers and key services (2014)
• Pilot project for supporting the mental health and wellbeing of
unemployed men (2015)
• Qualitative needs assessment exploring self-harm issues and
cultural insight amongst high risk groups (2015)

5. Suicide Prevention Training
• SafeTALK – a half-day course offering practical
steps to help someone with thoughts of suicide
and connecting with more specialised support
• ASIST – a two-day skills building workshop that
prepares caregivers of all kinds to provide
suicide first aid interventions
• Delivered by Forward For Life and Common
Unity

6. Evaluation - safeTALK
2014: 4 Courses = 94
2015: 4 Courses = 110
2016: 6 Courses = 155
Over 350 frontline professionals trained in basic suicide
awareness skills to support Dudley communities to be suicide
safer
Gave me tools to use
when required
I felt the opportunity to
dialogue and question
the thoughts of suicide
was very beneficial

7. Evaluation - ASIST
2014: 1 x 2-day Workshop = 11
2015: 2 x 2-day Workshop = 28
2016: 2 x 2-day Workshop = 23
62 frontline professionals have the skills to support people
vulnerable to suicide
My confidence has been
boosted to engage people
in conversations. I feel a
lot better prepared
Should be mandatory for
frontline services

8. Evaluation – Key Points
• Targeting multidisciplinary frontline workers across all sectors
worked well – each year delegates represented over 27 different
organisations/services
• In 2016 a more focused approach targeting Fire, Police,
Ambulance and Primary Care services proved more challenging -
but we achieved about 80% representation
• Anecdotal feedback to date has provided evidence of knowledge
gained being applied in practice but we need to consider further
monitoring and evaluation.

9. Why we need to continue…
“One man told me today that if it wasn’t for ‘Manmade’ he would
very simply be dead, because suicide was the only option he felt he
had left” (Public Health Practitioner)
“We want to give something back” (Participant)
Thank You

10. @ukmanmade @common_unity_ @forwardFORlife

11. • Men in particular can face many challenges in adjusting to life after job
loss, including dealing with financial hardship, relationship tensions,
isolation, loss of time structure and health issues including depression
and anxiety.
• Piloted (February 2015) as a Peer Support programme that engages
unemployed men from the area to best support them emotionally and
practically in taking best care of their own mental health and well-
being.
• The ManMade programme aims to help men develop strategies and
coping skills to manage changes to their everyday life.
Who & Why ManMade?

12. The Framework
• Identity
• Mental Health
• Loss
• Personal Reflection
• Physical Health
• Assisting Life
• Well-being
• Stress Management // Coping

13. The Measures?
• WEmWeBS
• Reflective Journals
• Interviews
• Workshop Evaluations

14. WEmWBs*
MMD1/1 MMD1/2 MMD1/3 MMD1/4 MMD1/5 MMD1/6 MMD2/1 MMD2/2 MMD2/3 MMD2/4 TOTAL
Score 1 35 35 58 23 33 70 32 14 25 30 355
Score 2 41 42 63 53 43 70 37 24 30 38 441
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Score
Participant Code
WEmWBs
Score 1 Score 2
*Warwick and Edinburgh Well-Being Scale

15. • ManMade as an approach to supporting men's mental wellbeing has clear
benefits for participants.
• ManMade is experiential in process, involving small peer group
opportunities for engagement and providing a safe environment for open
and frank dialogue.
• An opportunity for peer to peer support in its own right and open dialogue
is as important to the wellbeing of men as the subject matter formally
under discussion.
• ManMade promotes its participants well-being.
• It works.
What was learned?

16. ManMade Since

17. Our Upstream Approach

18. …it’s all about possibility.

19. Overarching Upstream Areas
Universal Approaches through Social Media
Engagement // Smart On-Line
Resource Access // Community Assets Intelligence

20. Our Upstream Programmes
Targeted Approaches – ManMade Family // ManMade
Cruse // Suicide Prevention Training // ManMade
Criminal Justice // Bloom In Birmingham

21. Terry Rigby
Company Director
www.forwardforlife.org
terry.rigby@forwardforlife.org
Caron Thompson
Company Director
www.common-unity.org
caront@common-unity.org
www.manmade.org.uk
info@manmade.org.uk