Managing Self-Harm

Welcome to the HSCP Managing Self-Harm Toolkit.

Self-harm can be expressed in children of all ages and is often a way to cope with feelings that are so distressing that no alternatives are thought to be helpful.

‘Everyone has a way of coping. Some use self-harm, others use alcohol’ (young person in Hampshire).

The aims of this toolkit are to provide practical tools and resources to:

• Foster a receptive and open culture of support for children who self-harm.
• Help professionals and parents/carers to feel more confident in supporting children who self-harm.

These resources were developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown. We hope you find the resources valuable and please adapt them where necessary to meet the individual needs of the child.