King's College London

Self-harm and suicidal thoughts often begin during early adolescence and are an increasing public health concern in the UK. As prevention efforts are usually introduced in secondary school, opportunities to intervene before these behaviours emerge may be missed.

The Early Action project is jointly led by Dr Amanda Bye (King’s College London), Jon Salmon (Speakers Collective), Zoe Kattah (CB Plus), and Alex Hills (PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide).

This collaboration was developed through an Innovation Lab organised by the UKRI Population Mental Health Consortium and brings together expertise from clinical academic research, charity, community and social enterprise sectors.

The project aims to co-design effective and inclusive approaches to prevention, focusing on how to support children and young people before self-harm and suicidal thoughts emerge. It explores what types of support are most acceptable, accessible and developmentally appropriate, with a strong emphasis on cultural sensitivity and equity.

This includes focus groups with diverse groups of young people, parents and carers, using creative, participatory methods, followed by a broader survey to expand insights to a wider audience, including clinicians, educators and community leaders.

The findings will inform the development of upstream prevention strategies to better support children and young people during a key stage of development.