About Staying Safe
The Staying Safe website is a potentially life-saving resource developed by 4 Mental Health, with invaluable input from our Expert Reference Group of international academics, people with lived experience (including of surviving a suicide attempt, self-harm, supporting a friend or family member or bereavement by suicide), suicide prevention experts, mental health practitioners, general practitioners, policy makers, public health experts, sector experts, educationalists and concerned citizens.
StayingSafe.net offers compassion, kindness and easy ways to help keep people safer from thoughts of harm and suicide, seek support and discover hope of recovery through powerful videos from people with personal experience.
The website provides vital ‘Safety Plan' guidance tools jointly funded by NHS England, with easy to print / online templates and guidance video tutorials purposefully designed to help people through the process of writing their own Safety Plan to build hope, identify actions and strategies to resist suicidal thoughts and develop positive ways to cope with stress and emotional distress.
Tragically, suicide takes far too many lives, yet suicide is preventable. Anyone struggling to cope or experiencing deep distress may begin to think about harming themselves and consider suicide as a means to escape their emotional pain. It can be incredibly difficult to think clearly during these times. Everyone is encouraged to PREPARE for possible difficult times ahead BEFORE they happen, by completing a Safety Plan.
During times of deep distress, Safety Plans become a vital and valuable reminder of:
- What people can do for themselves to get through difficult times
- Practical ways they can make their situation safer
- Who to contact for support
- Where to go or who to contact in an emergency
It is 4 Mental Health’s hope that anyone currently in extreme distress can share our hope that recovery is possible with the right support and that one day keeping a Safety Plan will be common place and regarded an extension of wellbeing and self-care.
For more information about StayingSafe.net, please contact info@4mentalhealth.com
Alison Beech, Managing Director of 4 Mental Health
“All of us involved in developing this website have very personal reasons for being so invested in helping others stay safe. I cannot thank enough, NHS England and all the contributors and the members of our expert reference group, who have so willingly given their time and expertise in helping us develop this resource. It may be the first step some people take in addressing their distress and therefore will hopefully lead them on to recognising and then widening their support base. We all need to know that there is hope and that people do care and want to help.”
Jonny Benjamin MBE, Mental health activist and a survivor of suicidal thoughts
“I believe that this could be a hugely valuable resource to millions of people across the world who struggle with suicidal thoughts and feelings. Having been suicidal at various points since being diagnosed with a form of schizophrenia a decade ago, I know that is a tool which would have proved to be extremely useful during those times. It is always difficult to find clarity of mind when I’m suicidal, but having a Safety Plan offers an immediate lifeline to not only myself but those around me as well. It’s been equally challenging for loved ones when I have been suicidal, but I feel confident that now having a Safety Plan will help us to communicate more effectively when I’m in crisis.”
Prof Siobhan O’Neill, Professor of Mental Health Sciences at Ulster University
“This is a valuable resource, uniquely prepared with the input of international academics using the latest research whilst prioritising the views of experts by experience. StayingSafe.net is a powerful tool that could literally save lives.”
Nadine Dougall, Associate Professor Edinburgh Napier University
“Comprehensive resource on helping people in distress to stay safe and alive. Produced meaningfully in partnership with people with lived experiences, with practical advice and tools on protecting future outcomes through developing plans for keeping safe. Kindness is a key principle in ability to support in yourself and others. Informed by academics in suicide research, educators, mental health practitioners and people who have been bereaved by suicide”