Our NEW Autism and Suicide Awareness Training has officially launched!
As part of World Autism Acceptance Week (2 to 8 April) 2024, we launched our new Autism and Suicide Awareness Training.
The training was launched as part of an online webinar which shared more about why and how the training was developed, included personal stories, and a preview of the training and how it works.
Funded by NHS Greater Manchester and developed with support of a steering group, over 1,000 people registered their interest in learning more about the training and how it was developed.
If you were unable to join us, we did record the webinar which can be viewed below.
You don't have to watch the whole thing. If you would prefer to watch different sections of the webinar, the timings can be found below and have been added as chapters to the recording.
- 00:00 Welcome and introductions - Alex Close (Zero Suicide Alliance)
- 03:31 Who we are (Zero Suicide Alliance)
- 06:05 National picture - Professor Sir Louis Appleby
- 08:55 Why the training was commissioned - Adele Owen (Greater Manchester Suicide Prevention)
- 14:13 How we developed the training - Alex Close (Zero Suicide Alliance)
- 26:32 Personal stories and lived experiences - Jav
- 28:43 Personal stories and lived experiences - Sue
- 34:53 Training preview
- 41:06 Message from the steering group - Mari Saeki (Greater Manchester Autism Consortium)
- 44:37 Next steps
- 47:58 Closing message - Jav
If you have any questions about the training or feedback about the webinar, we’d love to hear from you using this form.
Your questions may be used as part of a frequently asked questions section on the training page on our website.
Related links
During the webinar, we shared links to related information and support. You can find this information below.
We know some of the information shared during the webinar might be upsetting, if you need to speak to someone, there are people you can talk to.
Samaritans: Call 116 123 to talk to a trained volunteer if you are struggling to cope with your mental health and need support.
SHOUT: Text 85258 to get support with your mental health using SHOUT's text messaging service.
PAPYRUS: Call 0800 068 4141 if you are under 35 and struggling with suicidal feelings or concerned about a young person who may be struggling.
SANEline: Call 0300 304 7000 if you need out-of-hours mental health support, guidance and information for those affected by mental illness, including family, friends and carers.
Support for bereavement and grief:
Suicide&Co: Call 0800 054 8400 for emotional support and practical guidance to adults bereaved by suicide in England and Wales.
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide: Call the support line on 0300 111 5065 for information, help or to simply talk.
Cruse: Call the helpline on 0808 808 1677 for support if you or anyone you know are experiencing grief.
You can find the National Suicide Prevention Strategy at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/suicide-prevention-strategy-for-england-2023-to-2028
Research and data shared in the webinar and links to the research:
- Suicide is a leading cause of early death for autistic people (Newell, V. et al., 2023)
- More than 6 in 10 autistic people have considered suicide (Autistica, 2017)
- 3 in 10 autistic adults have attempted suicide (Autistica, 2017)
- Autistic women are 13 times more likely to die by suicide than non-autistic women. (Hirvikoski et al., 2016).
- Autistic people are at a higher risk of suicide than non-autistic people (Hedley, D., & Uljarević, M. 2018).
We currently have a fundraiser running until the end of May so we can translate this training into British Sign Language (BSL) in the same way we have for previous courses and would love your support to help us achieve this.
Support our BSL fundraiser: merseycarenhs.enthuse.com/cf/zsabsl
Don’t forget to share any questions about the training or feedback you have about the webinar using this form.
NOTE: We’ll be using your questions to support the development of frequently asked questions which will be included on our website.